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Kingdom Daughters,

     Jerusha, the main character in my books, was admonished by her father in their garden before he had to leave her.

     Never forget who you are. You are royalty. You are from the tribe of Judah. You will dance before the king one day.

     Today, Yeshua, the Lion of the tribe of Judah---the one who gave his life to bring us back to our Father and Creator---also yearns for us to know who we are and know our own unique design placed within us before we were born.

     This morning, early, before dawn, I lay in bed thinking about the pigeons that had gathered for months and roosted on the roof of my house. I had watched them the day before from my deck. They’d fly out and swoop back in toward me, again and again.

     What message are you bringing me today? I had asked and yes, I talk to the birds.

     It may seem silly to you, but if God watches over the sparrows so that not one falls to the ground without his notice (Mathew 10:29,) and provides for the raven its prey when its young ones cry to God for help and wander about for lack of food (Job 38:41), then I figure birds have great importance in teaching me about his love and care.

      Well, anyway, it seemed as if the pigeons were saying, you are not listening. They kept swooping toward me over and over, closer and closer, as if to get my attention. I laughed in my bed thinking about this encounter and felt nudged to get up and go outside on the deck.

     Standing in the dawn of a new day, the morning sun shining on my face, I placed my feet on the steps and descended with the intent of dancing in the soft grass below, but felt a slimy crunch beneath my bare feet.

     Ugh! Ick! My dance began sooner than expected as I tippy toed my way down the steps in horror, almost as pretty as a ballerina, but more like an uncoordinated cow slipping and sliding in the mud---very happy to regain my footing on the dew covered lawn. This disturbed the pigeons from their resting places and they swooped overhead.

     God, couldn’t we send the pigeons somewhere else to release their p---p---you know what I mean---their droppings. The wet dew helped clean the bottom of my feet.

     Are you thankful?

     Well, at this moment, not really, but if you say to be thankful, I will be thankful for this encounter with the pigeon droppings, but I  can’t see how you will make anything beautiful of pigeon p—p. I tippy-toed my way around the white slimy piles and back to the porch swing where I quieted my thoughts by focusing on His love and goodness.

     Moments later, I heard the Father speak, Every thought that comes to you that does not line up with who I created you to be, are like the pigeon droppings—they are not a part of who you are. When you recognize them, they will drop from you as waste placed under your feet.

     I chuckled at His humorous illustration, then thought for a moment about what “thoughts” he was talking about.

     Worthless? Yes, many times, in many ways I had felt worthless, feeling unable to help those I love the most, especially when expressing what I thought were encouraging words, only to get a dull look and rolled eyes.

     Failure? Oh, yes, I cannot recall the many times while raising children that I had felt like a failure---still do, at times, when I see my adult children struggle.

    Stupid?  Oh, boy, in this tech age, trying to navigate the ins and outs of my computer for writing projects, the word, “stupid,” frequently had crossed my 74 year old mind, or, words like, “I can’t do this,” had pounded in my thought s like the beat of a bass drum.

    Rejected?  Nothing brings a sense of rejection more than being the child of divorced parents---must be my fault, or else my father would want me around more and not criticize me so much when I do see him.

    Unlovable? Yes, that’s the best word to describe me when I lose my temper and scream at my loved ones because of my exhaustion or a misunderstanding.

    Alone? Yes, even when surrounded by loved ones, I sometimes have felt alone, misunderstood and abandoned.

     As I pondered those thoughts, the words permeated my consciousness loud and clear.

     That’s not who you are! Sure felt like that’s who I was, but I blurted out the same question Jerusha asked her father.

     Who am I?

     My loving, heavenly Father responded with words flowing effortlessly through my mind.

     You are my royal daughter, created with purpose and destiny, beloved, forgiven, valued, accepted, more than a conqueror, a dwelling place of my son’s glory, clothed with everything you need to walk in victory in all that you do on this earth. Never forget who you are. When thoughts come that are different from what I say, cast them off like pigeon’s droppings.

     I laughed at that last comment.

     Well, I guess you do make all things beautiful!

     My dear friends, who walk together with me on this kingdom journey on earth, let me remind you that what he’s said to me, he’ll say to you in the quiet, secret place of your heart. Take time to listen and believe he will speak and he will, but I recommend you don’t wait until he has to use the pigeon’s droppings to get your attention.

Until next time,