We Will Meet Again

In light of her Majesty's recent passing, I wanted to write a little post in tribute to her long and remarkable reign and in honour of her inspiring life that she led with such grace and dignity.

I'm sure we will all remember where we were when her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth's II's, death was announced. Tom and I were in the kitchen. We had just finished dinner, and I was gathering the empty dishes from the table, when Tom suddenly announced the news after seeing the text from his Mum: 'The Queen has died.'

I remember the news slapping me, almost like hitting a wall of shock. It didn't seem real. She's the only Monarch I have ever known, and although I knew she wouldn't last forever, it still came as a wave of confusion and consternation when I heard our Queen had passed. She had been the constant that we had known as a Nation, for as long as I can remember, and the pain of losing such a gracious and inspiring Leader felt like losing someone very dear. In many ways, Queen Elizabeth was like the Nation's Grandmother, and her faithful years of service to her country, won her respect and admiration from not only her own people, but from the world.

Tom and I longed to pay our respects to her late Majesty, and join the thousands of others who queued for hours to say their final 'goodbye' by visiting her lying in state at Westminster, but by the time we got to London, the queue was over 24 hours long, and due to work commitments we couldn't say our farewell in that way. We did, however, stand opposite the Palace of Westminster and nodded our quiet token of thanks to this extraordinary woman. Then we made our way through the slow-moving, crowded queue at St. James' Park to Buckingham Palace, where we quietly observed the grand home our Queen once lived, before moving on to Green Park where we placed flowers in memory of Elizabeth the Great at the memorial garden there.

It was a very moving experience, and although she couldn't see us pay our homage and thanks to her for her devoted seventy years of service to her people, it was our special moment with our Queen, and our way of finding closure as we said farewell to one great Monarch and welcomed in another.

I held Queen Elizabeth II in very high esteem, as did many others, but there was one thing that stood out to me during her long and victorious reign that I know kept her going and that fuelled her service to our country. And that was her faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. This faith she had did not go unnoticed by the Nation, and it was celebrated at her funeral, and much talked about by the media.

What a legacy to leave behind! A life so beautifully and graciously lived, that the whole world was captivated by her, and acknowledged that it was because of her faith in Christ: the faith that her Majesty openly acknowledged and was not afraid to speak about..

Queen Elizabeth, although a Queen, knew that she served and came under a higher Authority. Her love for God and her faith in Him, is what drove her to serve so wholeheartedly and loyally all the days of her reign.

Despite her rank and position, the Queen served in humility, knowing she answered to the King of Kings. In one of her famous speeches, from 1981, she said: "Christ not only revealed to us the truth in His teachings. He lived by what He believed and gave us the strength to try and do the same - and finally, on the cross, He showed the supreme example of physical and moral courage."

It was the example of Jesus Christ that our late Queen Elizabeth II lived by. She said herself in the 2014 Christmas broadcast that, "For me, the life of Jesus Christ, the Prince of Peace, whose birth we celebrate today, is an inspiration and an anchor in my life." And it was through Christ's example of love and forgiveness, that spurred her to shake the hand of Sin Feinn's Martin McGuiness, despite the fact that it was the IRA that had assassinated the Uncle of Prince Philip, the Earl Mountbatten; and also to extend a message of love to Harry and Meghan, even when the Royal Family was shaken by their interview, when she said, "Harry, Meghan and Archie will always be much-loved family members.'

Queen Elizabeth II had her life rooted in Christ's teachings and in His Word, the Bible. It was so evident that even the BBC couldn't stop referring to her Majesty's faith at her funeral. To live a life so impacted by Jesus, her Lord and Saviour, is a living testimony that there's something about Jesus that is real, awe-inspiring and life-changing. The Queen knew that Jesus had laid down His life for her, and through putting her faith and trust in Him and devoting her life to following Him, she has now entered into His eternal rest, and will no doubt hear the words from her beloved Saviour: "Well done, good and faithful servant . . . Enter into the joy of your Master." (Matthew 25:21.)

I never had the privilege of meeting the Queen in person on this earth, but I know one day I will meet her. Because I have also put my faith and trust in Jesus, I know that one day, I will finally meet her in Heaven when God calls me home.

Thank you, Ma'am, for all you did for your country and your faithful years of service. As you once said to us, 'We will meet again!'.