You, Me, and the Queen

This past week I realized that I have been lucky enough to be in London for both the beginning and the end of Queen Elizabeth's Diamond Jubilee (a yearlong celebration of her 60th anniversary as queen). On Tuesday a few of us gathered around in the Regents Lobby to watch the ceremony on television. (I must admit it was pretty cool knowing that the ceremony was taking place at Westminster Abbey and I had just been there two days earlier.) After the ceremony was over, we began discussing how the English believe the queen is appointed for her position by God and that her royal title is divine right. We debated whether or not we as Americans agree with this and attempted to look at it from a British perspective.

   Eventually the topic was dropped, but I continued to mull over the idea. I remembered a verse that talks about how we are all different parts of the body which all have different functions. It goes on to say that we can't all be the same parts or the body wouldn't work. This of course got me thinking... Aren't we all appointed by God?

   The other day I wrote about how C.S. Lewis fulfilled the will of God through writing, but how I hope to share his love by working with young girls and education. Both of us have been appointed by God and have been blessed with the skills and talents it takes to fulfill the duties that come with being appointed. If Lewis and I were each designated by God than Queen Elizabeth the II was as well. However, just as it was up to Lewis to use his writing skills as a source to honor God and how it is up to me to apply my sense of adventure for God's purpose, it is also the queen's choice to take advantage of her position in order to further God's will or not. Lewis could very well have written just another entertaining but secular novel; instead he chose to use his talents to serve the Lord who gave them.

   This same idea applies to all of us including the queen. We are each appointed by God to do something, created with a special purpose in mind. We have all been called to be a witness, but some of us are given the skills to do so by teaching while others are more qualified to be writers. Some have a knack for public speaking and others would prefer to witness from the comforting confines of a cubicle. Basically what I am trying to say is that we aren't all called to be queens. (I know, I know the childhood dream is crushed. Although I always preferred to just be a princess and never actually queen).

  We have all been specifically chosen and created by God, made on purpose, but not for the same purpose. If we were all given the same task the world wouldn't work, just like how the body wouldn't work. Imagine if everyone were queen or if we all were writers. If this was the case there wouldn't be anyone for the queen to be queen over nor would there by anyone to read all the great books being written. In we want the world to function properly (and I think that we do) there must be people in every line of work; people who have been appointed by God and gifted with the skills to do so.

"Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it." 1 Corinthians 12: 27

 Buckingham Palace:

Royal Standard flag: the queen is home!