Sitting in a gazebo all weekend at a local family event, I got to do a lot of people-watching. The most enjoyable part was seeing people use our standees for pictures (above). An old-fashioned carnival kind of attraction, these forms where kids (and adults) could stick their faces in and get a picture were an irresistible draw to our booth.

Since we had The Princess and the Kiss, The Squire and the Scroll and The Three Gifts of Christmas available for kids, we also had a table of toys – a plastic sword, a tiara, a dragon and a mirror with a crown built in to make the viewer an instant princess.

It’s always fun to take on an imaginary identity – we love masquerade parties and dressing up like superheroes. But when PurityWorks hosts a Planned Purity event, even our simple interactive play is designed to draw participants back to their TRUE identity.

We are royalty.

We were made for honor, nobility, service, goodness, truth and beauty, nothing less. Boys and men are meant to be protectors. That’s why the Squire sets out to conquer a dragon and free a kingdom.

​Girls and women are meant to be treasures. That’s why the Princess courageously saves her kiss for a Prince and no less.

We were made to care for others more than ourselves. That’s why the little princess in The Three Gifts ends up giving her Christmas gifts away.

Unfortunately, our dangerous world coaxes boys into being predators and girls into being willing targets. It teaches us that we should selfishly pursue everything and enjoy instant gratification without self-control. This foolishness must stop immediately, and we must fight
​our own personal battles with all our hearts to change it, checking ourselves and putting others first.

Nonetheless, this weekend I saw many people step into their true identities and smile – even one older lady and her husband. She knew she was a princess, and so did he. What a gift!

​When we walk like royalty, talk like royalty, and act like royalty and set our hearts to serve as humble benefactors, fighting for the good, defending the weak and needy, we find who we were truly made to be. Our virtue is restored. We can put the past behind us and operate more like human beings and less like animals.

​In fact, when we see ourselves truly, our world can be restored as we regain a culture of honor. That is what PurityWorks fights for, and always will.

Father’s Day is coming up and most of us are wracking our brains to think of an original gift for Dad. Our minds check off the standard ideas: hamburgers or steak on the grill, a meal out, a tie, a T-shirt or sports jersey, more tools …

But even more than tired, stereotypical gifts, men need to know that they’re needed, and respected … even more than they need to know they’re loved.

Servicemen earn ceremony and medals. Boy scouts work their tails off to become Eagle Scouts, because they gain respect. Businessmen climb the corporate ladder to gain admiration. And dads need respect just for being husbands and parents … and we usually DO respect them … but we don’t SAY it very often. We’re more likely to send a funny card.

But it can be a tragedy if we wait to say the important things until it’s too late.

My husband was one of the fortunate ones. His father died of an unexpected heart attack. For years the two of them had been estranged, but a few years before we lost him, an important phone call took place that involved sorrow and tears and healing. When Dad passed on, the words had all been said.

It often takes some kind of tragedy for us to speak up and share what someone means to us, but really, if we’re practicing Planned Purity and guarding the door of the breath, it shouldn’t be that way. We should be saying how much we appreciate each other every day, because tomorrow isn’t promised. And most of all, we should be saying so to our family members.

A friend of mine who says he has spent “way too much time telling a body in a casket how much that person meant to him” started an effort called Honor Someone Now, and I would encourage you to take advantage of that free service for Father’s Day and for many other occasions to do just that.

Tell your dad what he’s meant to you. Tell your mom what she did that made you who you are today. Tell a teacher, a friend or a mentor that they changed your life forever.

Obviously, no one is perfect. But if you want your own heart to be honorable, choose to call out the honorable deeds in your dad and others. It won’t just change them, it will change you. The way you honor life and breath is a venue to the formation of your own heart, and as you honor, you become honorable yourself.

So for Dad’s Day this year, really surprise him. Give him the gift of respect.

Then make a list. There are a lot more honorees in your life, and a lot more than needs to happen in each of our hearts. Imagine what the world would be like if each of us honored just one person a month. Yeah. Pretty different.

Give it a try. Visit www.honorsomeonenow.com - now.