“He knows how to calm me… to reassure me… without Peter, I’m lost”
These words have been on my mind for the past few weeks… They are the words of Princess Margaret from The Crown on Netflix (although I can’t recommend the second season).
I watched this series months ago. Yet there is a scene that keeps coming to mind. It’s where Queen Elizabeth tells her sister, Princess Margaret, that she can’t marry the family bodyguard (Peter). Elizabeth after a long and arduous struggle realizes the crown could be harmed by her approval of this marriage. Queen Elizabeth inevitably has to tell Margaret that she would be disowned if she choses to marry Peter.
So, in a difficult heart to heart talk with her sister, Margaret says of Peter, “He keeps me calm. He reassured me. I’m lost without him.”
Have you ever felt that way? You feel lost in the midst of the mundane. Or you feel on edge because every time you turn around you hear of more bad news, more heartbreak, more illness, more pain. Sometimes, life is just chaotic. Sometimes you don’t have time to get away to think. You don’t have time to clear your head. Sometimes you just need someone to be steady for you. You need someone safe to tether yourself to.
For me, this is a beautiful picture of Christ. The crown has the final say. Everyone in the royal family must sacrifice to maintain the integrity of the crown. All eyes are on them. Peter’s assignment is to keep the family safe, to protect them at all cost. Instead of being deeply in love with just one of the royal family, Jesus is desperately in love with each of His children.
In the series, Peter sacrifices everything. Jesus sacrificed everything. And whenever Margaret feels like the pressure of being in the spotlight is too much, or being held to a different standard feels as though it might break her, or having to keep things close to their chest might just make her crack. Peter is there. He is always available to her. She still has to persevere in the every day things, but when she gets overwhelmed or feel like she can’t hold it together anymore Peter reassuring her to stay steady. He reminds her of her calling. He shares in the sacrifice and keeping as much chaos and worry, as possible, away from her.
The LORD is my rock, my fortress, and my savior; my God is my rock, in whom I find protection. He is my shield, the power that saves me, and my place of safety.
Psalm 18:2 NLT
So, when this life feels too overwhelming; when you just can’t take one more doctors visit, or phone call with bad news; when you’re growing weary of the mundane; when you’re desperately searching for what the next season might hold; or you’re tired of waiting, remember… Jesus is the one who calms us. Jesus is the one who reassured us. Jesus is the one who never loses us.
His arm is not too short to grab hold of us to keep us steady. His thoughts are always towards us. He sings over us. And He prays for us. He most certainly knows how to protect us.
Thanks Christi…needed these words today
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Amen. What a comforting word. So often we get wrapped up in life’s situations that we lean on ourselves instead of falling into the arms of the one who designed us all. Who knows who we are intimately and has our backs regardless of our foolish omissions.
It’s true. I’m always trying to be self sufficient meanwhile, Jesus is waiting patiently. Probably wanting to say, “Are you done yet?”
Well spoken. Deep like the ocean. There are so many layers of truth and understanding here. I could spend all day on this but I will only touch on one, sacrifice.
Your ability to tie this earthly analogy to the heavenly realm bespeaks of your intimacy with the Beloved. Such wisdom does not come to babes. He is the one indeed who comes to protect us and calm us.
But I wonder if there is more to this picture than you are grasping. Yes, Peter was the bodyguard and yes He did love Margaret but he was kept from marriage to her because of the Crown. I can only wonder if where this analogy ends it might end up giving us the wrong impression of our Beloved.
Now I don’t want to push anything here but in this picture Margaret couldn’t have Peter in marriage. I get it but that is not so with our Beloved. We can be intimate with Him, fully, totally and passionately in love with Him, and He returns that Love. In fact He is the author of such love and nurtures it within us.
His sacrifice was never meant to keep us at arms length or to live a life of unrequited love. On the contrary He wishes to consumate that love with us. To be so intimate that nothing can, or does, come between us. Remember that His death tore the veil in our temple. The very thing that kept us from having intimacy with our Beloved Creator He tore asunder.
I only write this to bring hope that such love with Jesus need not be unconsumated. We are designed to be intimate passion with our Beloved. Truly we have to be prepared for this which takes a great deal of time and sacrifice but the reward in the end is our Beloved. Does not having Him as the reward make the sacrifice seem like a minor thing?
I completely agree with you. This analogy isn’t perfect— I realize, but I just love that picture of Jesus calming, reassuring and keeping us from being lost. His relationship with us goes beyond just a bodyguard. And He is our true beloved. Unfortunately, earth separates us from having a face to fave relationship with Him.
Thank you for your thoughts. I appreciate it💕!