Loving Life in London: Part 1

I left you last with my arrival in London and have since had three jam-packed days of British adventure down the streets of its numerous neighborhoods in this fabulously large city! Let me just say: I love London. But before I get too ahead of myself, let me catch you up.

On Thursday evening we arrived in London, walked in mass to the nearest tube station to get our Oyster Student Tube Passes, and immediately went on a group adventure (a.k.a. “trial run” on the tube) to Picadilly Circus, which is the main entertainment hub and center of night life in London. Splitting off from there, I walked with DR (my professor) and Katie down Oxford Street which we found to be a sort of fashion runway – think Mall of America on a street, only with better fashion. Eventually we decided to walk back towards our hotel and start looking for something to eat for dinner; hilariously we ended up at a Pizza Hut due to the fact that not much was open so late. Nevertheless, great conversation was had and our stomachs were happily filled. It served as a good ease into the hectic and overwhelming nature of London.

Digressing here a little, I was surprised that London still felt so overwhelming to me this first night since I’d been here before. I thought maybe I was just tired. But then it came back to me that I felt this way when I was 12 too (which was the last time I was here). I realized that God is teaching me a lot about discernment in the different cities I’m going to; and I believe London carries a spirit of loss, grief, or pain, which I was sensing a lot when we first arrived. However, then I realized that with this knowledge I have a responsibility to be releasing the joy of God’s Kingdom wherever I go, which revived my spirits and gave me a sense of a spiritual mission while I’m here.

Our group kicked-off Friday morning with the ‘hop-on, hop-off’ Original Bus tour of London and our tickets lasted all day. Katie and I decided to take our first stop at Buckingham Palace where we waited for the changing of the guard until we realized it wasn’t happening that day (along with all the other people pressed up against the palace gates), though we were able to see some fancy, royal-looking people riding horses into the Palace instead, which seemed to console us. Then, we decided we wanted to tour the State Rooms of Buckingham Palace which are only open to the public when the Queen is away from about the end of July to mid-October. We each had an audio tour and spent at least a couple of hours walking through each public Palace room that seemed to get grander at ever turn. The designs were absolutely stunning.

My spiritual digression on this experience was one I wasn’t expecting to have. Walking through the palace I could sense a spirit of royalty (that’s the best way to describe it) in every room. God was showing me that royalty is brought up to understand their innate value from birth, the places they inhabit are built to reflect their value, and they are positioned to have a wide influence stemming from that value. Without getting preachy, let me say: Christianity and the church needs to learn from this concept. As sons and daughters of the true King, we are not being brought up in a culture of royalty, one that speaks destiny over our lives from birth. And this is just one reason why finding identity is such a battle, why many people struggle with significance and whether their individual voice matters. Yet what prince or princess, knowing their place, would question their significance in their kingdom? Moral of the story: as Christians we need to receive our royal identity from God so that we understand our innate value, so that our external realities reflect that value, and so we understand our position of influence. Think about it.

Later that afternoon Katie and I walked through St. James’ Park (one of the many spotted across London) and also toured Westminster Abbey where most every King and Queen of England since Edward the Confessor is buried, as well as other significance figures in British history. This trip has caused me to become a fan of great audio tours, and this one was another added to the list. After a day of much walking, Katie and I hopped back on the bus and finished off the circular route throughout London as we let our feet rest. Once back at the hotel, a group of us decided to go out for dinner and ended up at a very yummy Indian restaurant where we had a leisurely meal and again, great conversation. What a great first day!