The feeling of anticipation was palpable. Prince Charles was coming to Kenya. I was barely a teenager then, but I remember it well: the buzz, the excitement, the "I wonder if I'll catch a brief glimpse of royalty?" type feelings. So it was not surprising when my dad came home for dinner with a royal story that still brings a smile to my face. Errands needed to be run. On a day when the long-awaited Prince Charles was scheduled to arrive, running errands in Nairobi - which in and of itself is a daunting task - proved to be torturous. As my dad, and fellow missionary, made their way to the final stretch home, crowds of students, mothers, fathers, business men and curious bystanders began to fill the small marketplace and spill into the street. There was no penetrating this human wall waiting for the Prince. And then my dad had a brilliant idea. He told his friend to crawl into the back seat of his Peugeot, crack the window and start waving when when he began to toot his horn. With darkened windows, and a freshly washed car, they hoped to convince the crowd that somebody special was driving through. As my dad turned the corner and began blasting his horn, the missionary in the back seat started waving in very royal-like fashion. The crowd parted like the Red Sea. An eruption of praise and excitement rippled through the street - people jumping, singing and rejoicing - as two missionaries drove down Mumias Road.
I have been sitting in my living room watching the footage of the royal nuptials of Prince William and Kate Middleton this morning. I have gasped with awe, smiled in romantic approval and shed a slight tear at the regality of it all. What an incredible moment as a young woman - a simple commoner - becomes a Princess - becomes royalty.
When I was a very young girl I sat on my mom's lap and asked Jesus to come into my life and be my Savior. In that moment, years ago, I went from being a simple commoner to significant royalty.
In my ugly blue robe and mess of bed-head, I am a princess. My title is not an earthly one, but an eternal one.
I am royalty. And so are you! Smile like you know it, walk like you mean it. Toot your horn and wave like crazy. You are no longer a commoner. You belong to the King!