From Prince to Peasant
Over the past week, there has been a lot of buzz around the royal family in the mainstream media. For the unaware, recently, Oprah conducted an exclusive interview with Meghan Markle and Prince Harry discussing their exit from the royal family. Many bombshells were dropped during this interview, leading to a frenzy of sound bites, many of which you may have already heard all over social media. However, today’s reflection is not about royal family drama, nor the gender of Meghan’s baby... Today’s reflection is about something much deeper and more pervasive in our society.
As I observed the story of the royal family unfold, one thing stood out to me above all else: how quickly and effortlessly one’s status can be stripped. During the interview, it was revealed that there were allegedly some concerns with the potential skin-tone of Harry and Meghan’s child and he was likely not to be provided security or any titles - an anomaly for a royal child. As quickly as one could flip a light-switch, the regal status associated with being born into one of the most prestigious families in history came into question.
At that moment, it dawned on me... Our titles in life are as fleeting and temporary as life itself. At any moment, our titles and positions in life can become as meaningless as the paper they are written on. As I pondered over this revelation, a scripture came to mind.
In the book of Ecclesiastes, the Bible speaks of a particular error that proceeds from a ruler.
Ecclesiastes 10:5-7 NIV There is an evil I have seen under the sun, the sort of error that arises from a ruler: 6 Fools are put in many high positions, while the rich occupy the low ones. 7 I have seen slaves on horseback, while princes go on foot like slaves.
In this passage, there are a few key points to take note of. First, it is both evil and erroneous for worthy positions to be occupied by the unworthy. In recent times, I have spoken to many job applicants about the challenges of obtaining jobs within their field, regardless of credentials. I have seen people with multiple Master’s degrees struggle to find work, meanwhile, on the other end of the spectrum, I have seen countless high-ranking positions being granted to people with neither the qualifications nor the experience for the roles. The key difference between the two scenarios is that the latter group somehow found favor with their bosses or hiring managers, while the former never even received a call back.
This brings me to the second point from the scripture: our earthly rulers play a major role in influencing our earthly status. This is, at its core, the premise of politics: obtaining favor with earthly rulers leads to greater earthly status and power. I have spoken to multiple corporate leaders over the years and the number 1 complaint I hear time and time again all boils down to “corporate politics”. As one rises the ladder, it becomes more apparent that titles and positions tend to be less merit-based and more politically-driven.
Upon reflecting on all these factors, one might wonder, what does this mean for Believers, who are forced to play what appears to be a “rigged” game? The answer is found in the very scripture above. If you look closely at the scripture, it becomes clear that a fool in a high position is still a fool, and a prince walking on foot like a slave is still a prince. Our very Lord and savior Jesus Christ, the only begotten son of the Most High God was born in a manger and was the son of a carpenter. He was not the exact image of what you would consider “royalty”. Yet one thing is certain: His earthly status had no bearing on His divine nature.
Brothers and sisters, let it never be said that your title defined you. Whether you are unemployed, a high school janitor, or a Fortune 500 CEO, your earthly status can change at any given moment. The Bible says “The race is not to the swift or the battle to the strong, nor does food come to the wise or wealth to the brilliant or favor to the learned; but time and chance happen to them all.” (Ecclesiastes 9:11)
While your earthly status can be determined by man, your divine status is determined by your right-standing with God. As you pursue advancement in your career and spheres of influence, do not lose sight of your true identity as sons and daughters of God. Man may strip you of all your titles, accolades, salary and benefits. But let the words of Paul ring true in your life, “I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ.”
