Another Trip to Swaziland

I went to Swaziland over the weekend (in case you were wondering why I was so quiet). Some facts about Swaziland:

• Population: just under 1 million
• Not one movie theatre in the whole country
• One can use Rand or Emalangeni interchangeably (SA and Swazi currency). This is good if you are coming from South Africa, but not good when you come back, as Emalangeni is not accepted in SA.
• There are as many cows, goats and people in the road as there are cars.
  
• AIDS rate: 40%

My friend Jane and I did some art projects with orphans over the weekend, led worship at a church on Sunday morning, and had lots of fun avoiding potholes, speed traps and road works on the way there and back.

I am struck by the fact that Swaziland is a kingdom. It's official name is "The Kingdom of Swaziland", and it does indeed have a King (King Mswati III) who has 16 wives (give or take a few). The concept of having a king or queen - the concept of sovereign rule - is so foreign to me. Having grown up in a democracy where the individual's voice is prized above all else, it is hard to get my head around the idea that in a kingdom, the wishes of the ruling king/queen are prized above all else.

This, of course, filters down to and colours my Christianity. Do the wishes of my God, my King, take precedence in my life, or do I count my voice and desires as being of utmost importance? I find myself feeling pensive today, reexamining just who sits on the throne of my life.