The King…Our King…My King

Dear sisters,

We Americans are a cocky brood. It is one of our strengths as it brings ingenuity and fantastical ideas to life, but it also heeds our understanding of other admirable attributes. Living in Thailand for four-ish years helped opened my eyes to one of these attributes that has changed how I view of our Lord and King.

Thailand is still ruled by a King. He is more than loved; he is highly esteemed and honored. I was instructed early on never to step on Thai Baht (their currency) as it bears the image of the king. Think about how many times you drop a quarter and step on it to keep it from leaving your sight or to bring it closer to you so you can pick it up. This is unheard of in Thailand. His image is never defamed, his character is never questioned, and unlike our country, the media never turn up dirt on him.

Traffic is stopped so he can pass freely. The pedestrian walkover bridges are emptied so no one is higher than the king as he passes. Every movie theater begins their show by playing the king’s anthem and all stand in respect until the song finishes. Each Friday honors the king by people choosing to wear yellow shirts in honor of the day he was born. I have never talked to a Thai person who has a bad word to say about him. In his healthier days, he would sweat in the unbearable heat while walking with the poor farmers to find out their needs. His science background helped him find a way to seed clouds in the hot season to help the farmers receive rain for their crop. He is a king who loves his people and they honor him for it.

Living in this environment made me realize how much I do not honor my king, Jesus. I grew up knowing that all men and women put on their pants the same way I do and everyone makes mistakes. I was encouraged to always work hard and then try harder so I could be anyone and do anything. All good things, except my view of fallible humans bled into my view of God. I used my human experience to be my foundation of who God is rather than the truth of scripture informing me of who God is. Therefore my honor to Him was not as it should have been and my actions showed it. I prayed disbelieving that He could answer my request. I went to church not to honor Him, but to see friends. I did good things not for His glory but for my own. Honoring my king was not evidenced in my life no matter how much my mouth proclaimed it was. Thailand helped open my eyes to what it means to truly honor the king in word and deed.

How about you dear sister? Do you praise and esteem your King more than yourself? Do you live your life in a way that shows how much you honor your King? He has done more for us than seeding clouds for rain. He showed His love by becoming one of us and living in this broken world so we would know He understands our every feeling and circumstance. He died by the hands of sinful men to forgive our sin debt. He gave us His righteousness forever! He is a King that rules perfectly and knows all things! We can trust Him!

“Oh My King, help us honor, respect, and esteem you more than ourselves. May we sing your praises and stand in awe of you more than all else in our life and may we never defame your name in word or in deed.”  CC

Your Sister in Christ,

Colleen