S. Kristi Douglas writes about the inspiration for her musical, “Daughter of the King.”
“I am a Princess, a daughter of the King.
Let me tell you all about the day it came to be.
One day I heard the King was issuing a royal decree.
It said that anyone who would receive His son could be a part of His royal family.
Now I’m a Princess, a daughter of the King.”
The words flowed as freely as my tears that day as I journaled.
I had recently experienced one of the most emotionally and spiritually tumultuous series of events of my life. My worst fears had been confirmed. It was over. The bottom had dropped out. There was no hope. Not even a glimmer.
In my anguish, I cried out to God for answers. I am a spiritual woman. But even in the midst of my pain and my anger at God, I still knew there was only one place to turn. “I don’t understand why You would allow this to happen to me,” I cried.
God answered.
“If you only understood who I am and who you are, you would see this much differently,” He said. And then He posed the question, “Who am I?”
I wasn’t quite sure how to respond. God is too many things to name. But I said, “You are the King.”
“You are correct,” He said. “And if I am the King, and you are my daughter, then what does that make you?”
“A Princess,” I said.
That question sent me on a journey of self-discovery and gave me a desire to know what my heavenly Father feels and thinks of me. I learned, in the process, how valuable I am to God. I am loved even when the world rejects me. I am beautiful even if I don’t meet society’s standards of beauty. I have purpose even if I don’t have what others recognize as talent. I have worth even though I don’t have much money. I am highly esteemed even when I have made a mess of my life through foolish decisions.
These are lessons every woman needs to learn, especially when she finds herself in a low place. I learned that value does not come from approval of people. It comes from developing a deeper relationship with the One in whose image I was created.
That day, as I journaled, I heard a melody. Soon, I was singing a song that would greatly impact my life and the lives of many others.
I recorded “Daughter of the King” and began to share it when I spoke to women’s groups. I could tell how deeply it resonated with them, and I knew there was something special about the message. Eventually, I started teaching a class at a women’s shelter, convincing women that no matter where they found themselves in life, God values them. An inspirational stage play followed in 2012, and a book will come next year. This summer, I founded a nonprofit, She Reigns Ministries, whose mission is to help create a world “where every woman knows her worth.”
On Saturday, October 24, 2015, I will have the privilege of once again bringing “Daughter of the King: The Musical” to the stage in Charlotte. Not because I wish to be the next Tyler Perry, but because I am a woman on a mission to help other women to discover their true identities.
I have dedicated my life to building God’s kingdom, one princess at a time.
“I am a Princess, a daughter of the King.
But this is not a fairy tale. It’s real as real can be.
He clothed me in purple, gave me a crown of life and made me royalty.
That’s why I bow my knees and why I lift my hands.
I give Him praise for what He’s done for me.
For I’m a princess, a daughter of the King!”
IF YOU GO:
Date: Saturday, October 24, 2015
Time: 3 p.m. and 7:30 p.m
Place: Pease Auditorium, Central Piedmont Community College
Cost: $18/$20
For tickets: tix.cpcc.edu
