Whenever the living creatures give glory, honor and thanks to him who sits on the throne and who lives for ever and ever, the twenty-four elders fall down before him who sits on the throne and worship him who lives for ever and ever. They lay their crowns before the throne and say:
“You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they were created and have their being.” –Revelation 4:9-11
I love the scene of worship the apostle John describes around the throne of God in chapter 4 of Revelation. If you have not read this chapter, I would highly encourage you to. The vivid and beautiful imagery of Heaven is breathtaking. Particularly, I am always drawn to the act of the elders laying down their crowns at the foot of the throne. Such an act shows reverence and submission to God, as the elders prepare to worship Him. These elders were laying down their wealth and prestige at the feet of God.
When recently reading this passage I asked myself a question.
What crown do I need to lay down?
I quickly had an answer. The crown I wear might not be made of gold, but too often I carry a crown crafted out of perfectionism. This crown represents my need to follow the rules and please others.
I want to be a super mom, perfect wife, and an upstanding Christian all at the same time. When I struggle at maintaining perfect, I have an enormous need to keep the struggle hidden from others.
Perfect doesn’t struggle. Perfect doesn’t need help. I should be able to juggle all these things in life on my own, while never sinning or messing up, right?
Wrong.
And every time I fail, the crown on my head becomes a little heavier.
My need to be perfect was placing a barrier between myself and the Lord. I did not even notice I was wearing this crown, or that it distanced me from the Lord, until its weight became too much to bear. I was tired and fatigued, but I had no idea why. My crown was heavy and unbearable.
It took a while for me to understand that my want for perfection was a crown God never wanted me to wear. You can read about my discovery HERE, and how this is still a crown I find myself placing down again and again.
It is taking time and practice, but like the elders, I will keep doing it over and over because it brings me closer to Him.
You see, I now realize the only one worthy of wearing a crown is God.
What crown might you be wearing today?
A crown of vainness?
A crown of judgement?
A crown of pride?
A crown of selfishness?
A crown of unforgiveness?
I pray any crowns you or I are wearing be shown to us by the Holy Spirit. God is worthy of our praise and thanks, but we cannot properly worship or be in fellowship with Him if our crowns are on our heads. May we take them off and lay them down at His throne!
Keri is a wife, mother, and blogger with a love for writing and outreach. She facilitates Bible studies at her church and leads a summer ministry called Jesus, Mommy, and Me for mothers and their children.
Blog: KeriMosier.com
Facebook: Facebook.com/KeriMosier
Twitter: @KeriMosier
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Copyright: belchonock / 123RF Stock Photo
Thank you so much for listening to your spirit within to help us all seek what we so very much need to find in ourselves, HIM. Bless you for you being so obedient and continue to share your experiences and love for the knowledge and relationship with our Creator.
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