Your Highness

Promise, our granddaughter, has quite the imagination. Being 4 years old, she is involved in "pretend" play, especially with her dolls. She had received a princess dress and tiara last year for Christmas, but never seemed to want to "dress up." Now this is almost a daily part of her play.

A few days ago, all dressed up in her outfit, I remarked, "Promise, you are a beautiful princess." She looked at me and said, "You can call me "Your Highness." This came as quite a surprise, not even knowing she knew this phrase. A bit later, I called her for something, and she asked, "Grandma, did you just call me "Promise?" I told her I did. She reminded me, "You should call me Your Highness."

Thinking about this for a few days and watching the acting/pretend play, I started thinking about people. This is what we do all the time. We play out our lives as if we were "Your Highness." We build a throne filled with "self" and are sure it is fine with God. Well that is, until some catastrophe happens, and we cry out to God. TV is filled with phrases—you deserve it, it feels good, it makes you beautiful...on and on.

The Children of Israel did the same thing. When things got difficult they cried out to God. When life eased up, out came the "Your Highness" syndrome. They did things their way.

I have been studying Hosea...Hosea 11:1-4 God tells us how he loved Israel as a child, called him out of Egypt. Then they left the Lord and worshipped idols. God taught Ephraim how to walk, taking them in his arms, but hey didn't know it was God. In verse 4, "I drew them with gentle cords, with bands of love..." In spite of that, the children of Israel thought they could do "it their way."

The book of Hosea closes with this verse: 14:9 "Who is wise? Let him understand these things. Who imprudent: Let him know them. For the ways of the Lord are right. The righteous walk in them. But transgressors stumble in them."

You be the judge, who is truly the "Your Highness?"

God bless you.