My Royal Mix-Up

Four.

That’s the number of BREAKING NEWS alerts I received on my phone about Prince William and Kate’s momentous hospital stay this week.

It’s also the number of times I thought, I don’t care!

I got an alert when she went to the hospital. Then when she delivered. Then when she emerged from the hospital, and finally that the baby had been named. Like nobody saw that coming.

Later that day after he was born, I saw a facebook meme that said, “We fought for independence so we wouldn’t have to care about the royal baby!”

I had to laugh. It’s kind of true. Why is this BREAKING NEWS?

[The same 117 Americans who watched the Royal Wedding in 2011 were pretty excited though. That ceremony also held the moment they realized the song “Our Country ‘Tis of Thee” is actually a mocking ripoff from “God Save the Queen.”]

Not “Just” Anything

And at first, I really did think, nobody cares! He’s not in line for our throne so what’s the big deal? He’s just a baby. 

Then I thought, shame on me! Royal or not, he’s a baby! Why aren’t we celebrating?! He’s a human being, through and through, created and formed in God’s image.

[An aside: “For Once, the Entire World Knows a Baby is a Baby!” Nobody called the child in Kate’s womb “The Royal Fetus,” did they?]

Can I widen your perspective just a bit? Royal or not, every baby (in the womb and out), every human on earth is created and formed in God’s image (see Genesis 1:26, 27). From the castles in England, to the huts of Africa, and even the alleys in Detroit—every single human being conceived in the womb is made in the image of God. Imago Dei. And that’s even better than being a Royal!

So yeah, at first I was a little annoyed at the BREAKING NEWS alerts. But then I was okay with it, because it was celebrating life. And usually, breaking news alerts don’t bring such good news.