The Other Side of the Coin

Our fascination with the Royal family has continued throughout the generations. Since The Crown started showing on Netflix in 2016, 73 million households have watched it. Every year countless books have become best sellers as we avidly want to know the people behind the throne. In 2019 such a book was published called, “The Other Side of the Coin” by Angela Kelly who as the exalted title of Personal Advisor to Her Majesty (jewellery, insignias, and wardrobe). Of course if you are looking for some sordid gossip it won’t be found in this book as I presume Kelly likes her job. Unlike Marion Crawford the Scottish governess of the Queen and her sister Margaret who moved from confidante to villain, losing everything, because she was too frank in her descriptions of life behind the throne. Sadly after her article and book ‘Little Princesses’ published in 1950 her life was never the same. She tried to commit suicide twice and died in as nursing home in 1988. A Channel 4 documentary of her story was told in 2000 titled, The Nanny Who Wouldn’t Keep Mum. A sad ending to someone who tried to tell the other side of the coin.

Let’s go to someone way beyond the Queen and the Royal Family. Let’s go to Jesus. The Apostle continues this ultimate and supreme mission of our Royal Divine King:

“Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” (Philippians 2: 9-11`)

Therefore.

The Amplified helps us if we happened not to have read the verses before, “For this reason also [because He obeyed and so completely humbled Himself], “

This side of the coin is:

The highest place.

The name above every other name.

Every knee from every place will bow before Him.

Every tongue will acknowledge Him as Lord.

This is the glory of God the Father.

But it is only so because of what is on the other side of the coin. God doesn’t shield that from us. We know what is there. We know what happened.

And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death – even death on a cross! (v8)

This side of the coin we see:

A man.

In humility.

In death.

A criminal’s death not a hero’s.

The other side of the coin.

It applies to our lives too.

Today may be hardship. You may have grief and struggle. Pain may be all around you. For you, life may be one of experiencing failure in the eyes of others. But turn the coin over and you will see Christ wins. Turn the coin over and you will see what He has done for you meaning that you win also. This life isn’t all there is. This world will end and the new world will begin. Our life as we know it will close but our real life will begin. It’s time to flip the coin. In a year quite like no other. When you have perhaps been sick, lost your job, grieved over loved ones, known a despair like never before, you must remind yourselves it is just one side of the coin.
A humble man/woman obedient throughout their life to the path of God who dies even in a pathetic state, if they die in God, they rise with Christ. It will be worth it. Don’t remain fixated on one side of the coin. Keep flipping it. The other side of the coin is important.