Nugget of the day: And now the prize awaits me—the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give me on the day of his return. And the prize is not just for me but for all who eagerly look forward to his appearing. 2 Timothy 4:8 As a child did you dream of being a prince or princess?  Did you imagine living in a beautiful place with a happily ever after? Many children do, but for Christians, this is no fantasy.  If we have accepted Christ, we will one day wear the crown of righteousness, and we will live in a beautiful place where there will be no pain or suffering. We will be in the presence of the true King of the universe.  Sometimes when we struggle on this earth, it is hard to imagine that there is a better place. We may even question God as to why He makes His children fight battles. Then when we read the Bible, we are reminded that even earthly princes and princesses have to pay their dues before being crowned king or queen. When we study the life of King David, we see that although he was appointed king as a child, He did not actually take the throne until he was much older and had been on the battlefield and weathered some storms. These trials are what prepared him to assume his role as a king. I am sure that David, like us, questioned God.  He had to wonder what the future king was doing tending sheep,  serving his brothers in the field, fighting giants and fleeing for his life. All duties one would think should be beneath king David. And yet God knew better. How could David lead his people without having the proper training? People do a much better job and appreciate their positions when they experience the struggles and know the fight they had to endure to get the reward.  God was also making sure David was going to remain loyal to Him in the bad times as well as the good. It is easy to be faithful when everything is wonderful. It takes trust to be loyal in the battle.  The same is true for us. We will appreciate Heaven and our prince or princess status much better when we endure struggles. We will prove ourselves loyal followers of Jesus Christ when we stand up for our faith. When God gives us our crown on that glorious day, we will wear it proudly because we will know the struggles we endured to receive this beautiful crown. My prayer tonight is that we realize we are prince and princesses in training on this earth. We have already been given the title just as David was but God wants us to be prepared to wear the crown.  I pray we see our struggles as a stepping stone getting us closer to that great day when we step foot into God’s heavenly kingdom, and we can enjoy the reward of fighting the good fight.  Tonight seek God’s guidance as to how to fight your battles. Spend some time in prayer asking God to help you see how these battles are preparing you to live our eternity with Him.  When we see the battles as stepping stones to living a life that some people can only dream of, then we are more willing to fight. David kept fighting because he knew what lies ahead.  The same is true for you. Keep fighting, Heaven is not far off, and you want to prepare.  God is eagerly waiting for the day He welcomes you into His Kingdom and places the crown on your head.  Go ahead and keep dreaming about that great day.  It is not a fantasy. You indeed are the child of The King.