I know the title of this blog is also the title of a famous movie! But I couldn’t quite come up with anything else that captured the essence of what I wanted to communicate. Essentially, this is a post about our identity- and through Christ, our rightful place.
A few weeks ago, I read a young adult historical fiction called, The King’s Shadow. The story takes place in England between 1063-1066 and is about a young maimed teenager who becomes enlisted in the service of the king. Due to his inability to speak, the main character, Evyn, learns to read and write. This skill combined with his intellect made him very useful to the king. Yet, the king saw something even greater in Evyn- a kind and loyal heart. The king grew to love the young man- so much so that he adopted him.
Just as every young man questions his own bravery, so did Evyn (a prominent theme throughout the book). In the midst of a great battle, when he was tempted to run away, Evyn gained inspiration and courage from the king’s wife who refused to leave his side. Her words, “My place is with the king,” struck Evyn in the heart. It was in that moment he really understood who he was- that he was the king’s son- and that his place was by his side.
As I read the story, I couldn’t help but think of this as an allegory to our own lives; to our relationship with the true King. If we have trusted in Christ as our only means of salvation, then we are united to him and have become an adopted child of God. However, unlike Evyn, our adoption is not based upon anything related to our own merit or goodness- it is purely of grace and God’s perfect will (Ephesians 1:5).
And while we relate to God the Father as His adopted children, we know that it is Jesus Christ who is the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. He is everything to us- Savior, friend, elder brother, bridegroom, and king. He is the One who will return someday to judge the quick and the dead and the sons of men (2 Timothy 4:1); the One who is right now reigning at the right hand of the Father (Hebrews 10:12-13).
Like Evyn, we often have difficulty grasping our true place. How easy it is to gaze upon our own fleshly fears and insecurities, forgetting to whom we belong! The antidote then is to focus our hearts and minds upon the truth- that because of Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection, we are seated with him in the heavenly places. We are heirs with him. Truly, the King of Kings calls us his own (Philippians 3:12).
Because of this great privilege, we fully commit ourselves to him in both life and death. During his time on earth, Jesus made it clear that to be his disciple one must be willing to die to self and foresake all others (Luke 9:23, Luke 14:33). One must even be willing to give up his very life. While self-denial and persecution await the life of the Christ follower, this is but a small price to pay compared to the weight of glory of spending eternity with our king (Romans 8:18).
If you have been feeling unworthy, unqualified, uncertain- take heart! Your King is reigning and he has raised you up with him. Because of his great love for us, we can triumphantly, confidently, and victoriously say, My place is forever with the King.
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