The events of this royal spring have led me to reflect on the rather outworn concept of duty. Time after time, the Windsors have turned daunting prospects into successes because of their strong sense of
duty.
You see it in George VI, forced by unexpected circumstances to lead a nation through some of its darkest days. He rose to the occasion, and through hard work and dedication became the monarch his people needed.
In her 21st birthday speech, the current queen said, “My whole life, whether it be long or short, shall be devoted to your service.” She has persevered through the vicissitudes of a 60-year reign to emerge a popular and respected figure.
“Duty is its own reward," Prince Andrew explains. "She is very religious, but she is also philosophical. She feels she must do the job she has been given and that it will be for others to judge whether she has succeeded.”
As Christians, all of us are royalty, children of the king of Kings. As such, we have duties—to God, to ourselves, to our families, to our employers, and to the people around us.
We owe God our lives and all we have. We give him our allegiance, our obedience, and our best efforts at service. We owe it to ourselves to live lives of integrity, of single-minded devotion to all that is good and true. We owe it to our families to love and cherish each one. We owe it to our employers to work hard and effectively. And we owe it to those around us to treat them as we’d like to be treated.
May we do our duty with wisdom, compassion and faithfulness. "You are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light" (1 Peter 2:9).
There’s a big difference between our fairy-tale concept of kings, queens and princesses and the hard work of continuing to do our duty and fulfill our responsibilities to God and those around us. May the events of this royal spring cause us to reconsider our own sense of duty.
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