What's in a Name

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As the world grieves the loss of the late Queen Elizabeth, the adjustments in the Royal Family are interesting to watch. 

First, let me say that I have been touched by the beautiful testimonies of the Queen's faith. She was an incredible woman who weathered more than one lifetime's worth of storms. To hear how her faith gave her strength, especially the recounting of her desire to see the Lord come back in her lifetime so she could lay her crown at His feet! And I cannot imagine the struggle of having to grieve in such a public way as the Queen's children, including the new King Charles III, must do. My heart goes out to them. 

The motivation for writing this blog post, however, is the change, announced by King Charles on Friday, September 9th, in the title for his eldest son, Prince Wiliam, and Prince William's wife, Princess Catherine, formerly the Duchess of Cambridge. 

For the last eleven years, rather than living as a princess, HRH has lived without that coveted title. Her official duties were seemingly no less than they would have been otherwise, her future role likewise unchanged. The only difference was the title. To some, it could have been interpreted as an insult, being denied what seemed appropriate. And yet, rather than focus on what she had been denied, the Princess lived in light of who she really was and the title she would one day carry. Her patience paid off. Now, she is officially the Princess of Wales. 

The reason this catches my attention is that I have actually used the Princess as an example of living in light of our identity in Christ, regardless of our situation or circumstances. HRH, Princess Catherine, has demonstrated with incredible beauty and grace how to live in light of who she really is. It is a powerful example, a point driven home for me personally because of some of the challenges I've written about recently. 

Again, it doesn't really matter what the particularities are, it is the principle I want to focus on. The Princess of Wales has lived as a princess, regardless of her title, for more than ten years. That effort is much more difficult than it might at first seem. 

Oh how I wish I could navigate the trivial issues in my life with the grace of Her Majesty. I wish I could make it look easy to be a duchess when I should have been a princess. But I struggle with much more banal challenges. Again, the specifics aren't important. The really big deal is that it is possible to live in light of what is true, even when life is unfair, unjust, and uncomfortable. That's the kind of life I want to lead.