red carpet... was such a big event. He... just felt so accepted and loved.”
Another mom said,“ For this one night of the year, it doesn’ t matter one bit that she [ my daughter ] is differently abled. It doesn’ t matter that she has no concept of time, that she has short-term memory loss and literally behaves much like the Disney character Dory... It doesn’ t matter that she isn’ t capable of working a full-time job or going to college. It does, however, matter that she is a child of the one true King and that He has deemed her worthy of a purpose. It matters that she is loved by Him.”
With stories like these, it’ s been incredible to witness how NTS has sparked transformation in individuals and across many communities.
Back to NTS 2021. Due to COVID-related realities, we were hosting a drive-through version of the celebration. As ribbons of fiery red and orange stretched along the horizon that evening in Tucson, Arizona, I watched our honored guests wave from cars and SUVs that slowly inched down an imaginary version of a red carpet. As I always do, I cheered so loud I may have blasted the eardrums of the person standing beside me.
Then, the red convertible crawled past. A young lady wearing a red dress stood in the back seat. A radiant smile lit up her face. In a rare moment, my mouth opened but no sound came out. My cheering got stuck somewhere between my chest and my throat. Time stopped as God drew my attention to the sticker on the bumper of the red convertible.
It read: Royalty on Board.
Suddenly, all I could hear was the rhythmic pounding of my heart. To the best of my discernment, God seemed to whisper, Don’ t miss this. I’ m trying to show you something about My love for humanity. Don’ t miss this.
“ That’ s it!” I said out loud.
The revelation landed sharp and unexpectedly. Royalty on Board was the best way to describe the scene around me. For all the guests who have been shamed, ridiculed, or abandoned, the truth is that they are royalty in God’ s eyes— and not just one night of the year. They were royalty right from the beginning. They were royalty when the extra chromosome appeared on the amniocentesis, when the missing limb showed
32