The fancy invitation I received
was addressed to "Lady Charmaine"
As I read this invite and saw the
name on the card I assumed that this title was given to each woman that was
invited to this special event. On the
evening of the party when we arrived and
we all went into the dining room for the
dinner portion of the evening, at each seat on the table was a special
decorated name tag. As I looked around the table at the different name tags, I
realized that each woman had a different title. Some women had lady, countess,
baroness, princess etc…
They also had a house that they
came from. My card said “Lady Charmaine of the house of Macaw”.
At some point in the evening after
reading everyone else’s titles I got it in my heart that I didn't want to be
called a lady, but I wanted to be a countess. My reason for this was due to one
of my favourite movies- the count of Monte Cristo. As we continued on in the
evening I kept asking everyone the difference between the different titles. The
only one I was sure I knew was the princess. To become a princess you either
were the king’s daughter or you married a prince.
But for some strange reason in my
heart I longed to be something else. I kept
wondering which title most fit me and where I wanted to be. I also wanted to
know why the host( a personal friend) chose this title for me.
As we began to research the
different titles we came up with the following hierarchy.
Princess
A woman member of a royal family other than the monarch, especially a daughter of a monarch.
A woman who is a ruler of a principality.
A noblewoman of varying status or rank. The wife of a prince.
A woman regarded as having the status or qualities of a princess.
Countess A woman holding the title of count or earl. The wife or widow of a count in various European countries. Used as a title for such a noblewoman.
Baroness
The wife of a baron
or a woman holding a baronial title A woman holding a nonhereditary title conferred by a sovereign in recognition of personal merit or service to the country. The wife or widow of a knight.
The female equivalent to a knight.
Lady
A general feminine title of nobility and other rank, specifically:
The title for the wife or widow of a knight or baronet.
A form of address for a marchioness, countess, viscountess, baroness, or baronetess.
A courtesy title for the daughter of a duke, a marquis, or an earl.
Used as a courtesy title for the wife of a younger son of a duke or marquis.
After all of this information I
decided that a lady was indeed the perfect title for me.
My reasoning was that as a Lady
my possibilities were endless.
I could become any of the other
titles by my choice. I could marry a prince, baron, earl, count and become a
princess, baroness or countess.
If I married the crown prince I
could eventually become queen. This excited me.
I also loved the other description
of a Lady that said " A well-mannered and considerate woman with high standards of proper behavior. A woman regarded as proper and virtuous.”
As I meditated on this I got a
revelation about this that each of us have titles that people or circumstances
have given to us in life. These titles can limit us and many of us never
question our titles.
We don't see that certain titles
given to us are limited.
Poverty, abused, aborted,
abandoned, oldest sister, nurse, woman, all came with their limitations.
I personally wanted a title that
fit who I was and that had possibilities to allow me to come into greatness.
I didn't want to be limited by a
label that someone randomly chose for me.
Identity is important to me and I
never want to allow random choices from someone else or lack of understanding
limit my future potential in any way.
Throughout the Bible there have been many names and titles
associated with Jesus Christ such as Savior; Emmanuel; Son of the Highest;
Faithful and True; Alpha and Omega; Messiah; King of Kings and Lord of
Lords. He was referred to in Isaiah 9:6 as our: "Wonderful
Counsellor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father and Prince of Peace."
Fascinating, however, is that of all of the names and
titles given to Jesus, the one name that Jesus chose to give to Himself is;
"The Root and Offspring of David, and the bright Morning Star."
Revelation 22:16.
Jesus knew who He was and though he allowed others to label
him according to their revelation of him, he never let that limit or define who
He was and is and always will be.
You need to understand that certain
titles over you open doors for you and others close doors.
But you have the awesome ability
to change the title in front of your name.
If you want to become a doctor
you can go to school and get a degree and become Dr. so and so.
Your title will then change.
Everyday you have an opportunity
to become a person that is faithful and then people will use that title when
referring to you. You can become honourable, diligent, kind, loving,
prosperous, fruitful. A wife, a mother,
a teacher, a pastor, a prayer warrior …
My purpose (the reason why I
exist) is destined by God- that is who I am naturally.
My destiny is decided by me
daily. These are my choices that will lead me to fulfil my purposes. I decide
where I want to end up and make certain choices to get myself there. The titles
come along this journey. So then the beginning or where we start doesn’t always
determine our finish or our end.
I left that party which was a
special evening of celebration of extraordinary women feeling like I was
"Lady Charmaine", a woman maximizing
my potential and ready to accomplish my purpose And to leave a legacy.
