The Princess

We met up with friends and walked our crew around the neighborhood for annual tricks and treats. I’m not a huge fan of Halloween, we generally try to downplay it – but I like watching their excitement and creativity as they prepare their costumes and for one evening take on another persona.

Curie was a princess; her bright sparkly flowing fabric stood out like crazy amidst all her dark-clad, superhero and ninja brothers. It was the perfect outfit for her – she embodies a deep spirit of royalty. She is confident in every situation, fearless, but also sweet and hilarious and kind. She knows who she is, even at the tender age of 4. Even with all that has been disrupted in her life, and all the ambiguity: she is a powerhouse.

At one point in the night, we came to a house where a man was standing on the driveway – cloaked all in black, with only a horrible dark green mask peering through the hood. The boys were unsure about him; they stepped back shakily, and then hurried on as he tried to reach out toward them. He stood very still as Curie approached. She stopped right in front of him, looked up into his twisted ugly green face, and said calmly ‘What are you supposed to be?’

He reached his arms forward and said, ‘I..TAKE…YOUR…CANDY…’

She furrowed her brow and studied his eyes, ‘No. You won’t.’

He reached out his long robed arms and began to step toward her, repeating his words.

The princess shook her head, ‘No. You won’t. Because it’s mine,’ and then with absolute grace and confidence, she turned away from him and sauntered on down the sidewalk.

We should all be able to live out of that place – of fearlessness. Of confidence in who we are and what is truly ours, that can not be taken.

But you are the ones chosen by God, chosen for the high calling of priestly work, chosen to be a holy people, God’s instruments to do his work and speak out for him, to tell others of the night-and-day difference he made for you—from nothing to something, from rejected to accepted.

1 Peter 2:9 TMV