The death of Queen Elizabeth the Second drops the curtain on the longest reigning monarch in world history.

At just over seventy years on the throne, Elizabeth’s remarkable tenure at Windsor Castle and Buckingham Palace spans 13 United States presidencies dating back to Dwight Eisenhower.

But the Queen’s reign wasn’t just notable for its sheer length and her record number of days in power. It was notable for how she spent those years – and how many lives she touched throughout 96 years of her life.

Born Elizabeth Alexandra Mary, she was known as a young girl with beautiful handwriting who spelled well, loved history, enjoyed music, and even spoke fluent French. Lest you think she was perfect, she apparently struggled with arithmetic.

Elizabeth was in Kenya in February 1952 when her father, King George VI, died. Just like that she was Queen. After a period of mourning and preparation, she was coronated in June of 1953.

As Queen of England, Elizabeth represented the monarch and her Kingdom through good times and bad. She was a consoler and a cheerleader. She served as a bridge between an emerging post World II Europe and a tumultuous, fast-changing world.

But beyond being drawn to the pomp and the pageantry, beyond the intrigue with the richness of royalty, what was it that drew so many of us to the Queen and her extended family?

I think at the center of it all is our deep and abiding desire for family and stability. Queen Elizabeth represented that. Yes, there was the dysfunction – and sometimes it was headline news.

But more often than not, the Queen’s reign ran like a train traveling on time through a beautiful, picturesque countryside. She was reliable, dependable. She also appeared unflappable and always firmly in command.

We all intrinsically want that, don’t we? We want to be loved and we want someone to love. We’re drawn to the security of loving parents, a devoted spouse, children who mean everything to us – and hopefully, we mean everything to them.

So what was the Queen’s secret? How did she pull it off?

It really wasn’t a secret at all. In message after message, usually at Christmas, she said her personal faith in Jesus Christ was “the anchor” in her life. She said in 2014, “Christ’s example helps me see the value of doing small things with great love.”

Whether you’re the Queen of England or living in Queens, New York, it’s usually the little things that make the biggest difference.

The very best way to honor the memory of Queen Elizabeth the Second’s long and storied life is to love the people God has placed in your life and on your path.

God saved the Queen for seventy years – and now because of her faith in Him, she lives on with Him in a World without End.

 

Photo from Shutterstock.