Part 1 of 2 You can read part 2, Fulfilling Your Destiny in Such a Time as This, here. It was one of those days. Earlier that morning, I had scanned through the news and read two or three articles to be up to date on current world and local events. As I went about my morning chores, my thoughts kept returning to all the confusing and scary information about the coronavirus that I had read. First, came the procession of all the little inconveniences: wearing masks, social distancing, grocery shopping trips are more complicated, and so on. Then came the reminders of the two visits with family that have been cancelled. Next, I was ruminating on all the things I have to adjust in my business plans… In short, my mind was busy throwing a personal pity party. I knew it was getting out of hand when I started putting on black funeral attire and a party hat. Once I was done with my morning chores, I entered into my studio ready to start my work. If my mood was any indication, this was going to be a less than productive day. Resigned to the inevitable, I started to sit down at my desk. As I did, my eyes brushed over the large framed quote I have hanging on my wall. “Perhaps this is the moment for which you have been created.” But what I heard in my heart was… Perhaps the season of the coronavirus is the moment for which I have been created. “Excuse me, God. Can you say that again?” I knew He was the one who placed this on my heart because He is always busting up my pity parties. This new thought turned upside down all the thinking I had been doing that morning. Covid-19 was not meant to change my world; I was designed, created, and put into position by God to change my world—during the coronavirus! God knew since the beginning of time that the coronavirus would happen in my lifetime. He even planned out things for Jesus and I to accomplish during this time. (Psalm 139:18, Ephesians 2:10) This left me wanting to know more about living in the moment for which I was created. That led me to look more deeply into the story of Queen Esther from whose story this quote comes. If you do not know the story, let me summarize it for you.
Once sober, King A was not too happy with his decision concerning Queen Vashti, so to cheer him up, the king’s attendants suggested an early version of “the Bachelor” television show. King A liked this idea and had all the pretty single ladies in the land rounded up. They were given a whole year of beauty treatments. Then, at the end of the year, King A started calling in the ladies one by one for an overnight date. Ten months into the selection process, a stunningly beautiful young lady named Hadassah (Esther in Persian) was picked for her turn. King A, along with everyone who had met her thus far, absolutely loved her. Instead of handing her a rose like on “the Bachelor”, he gave her the crown which made her head queen in Vashti’s place. There was just one problem and it was a big one. Queen Esther was Jewish and the Jews were not liked in the area. They were only living there because several years before they had been captured by King Nebuchadnezzar and were forced marched as captives to the Babylon area. Queen Esther had kept her nationality a secret on the advice of her cousin Mordecai. Mordecai was Queen Esther’s older cousin. She trusted him and his advice because when she was a child and became an orphan Mordecai raised her as his own daughter. To make things even worse, during the first year that Esther was queen, Mordecai had made one of King A’s men, Haman, very mad by not bowing to Haman. So Haman decided to retaliate by convincing King A to let him issue an edict in the king’s name. This edit stated that one year later, on the thirteenth day of the twelfth month, all the Jews in King A’s kingdom (even the women, children, and elderly) would be killed. As the news traveled throughout the kingdom, all the Jews publicly began mourning, fasting, cried loudly, tore their clothes, put on itchy uncomfortable clothes, and covered themselves in ashes. Needless to say, they were very upset, including Queen Esther’s cousin, Mordecai. Queen Esther had no idea what was going on, but she saw that her cousin was distraught. She tried to send him comfortable, clean clothes to wear, but he refused. This confused Queen Esther so she sent her personal attendant back out to find out what was going on and that is when she found out about the decree. Mordecai sent her a message saying she had to talk to King A to get this law erased but this scared her and she said she could not do it. It would mean death for her because everyone knew that no one approached the king without the king requesting the persons presence. Not even the beautiful head queen, Esther.
Mordecai tells Queen Esther that her silence does not guarantee her safety. Like Queen Esther, we are living in a time of great difficulty that is affecting many around us. Also, like Queen Esther, God has created us knowing that we would live in a certain time with certain trials. With this in mind, He planned out good things for us to do during this time. (Eph. 2:10) We have two options. We can list all the “rational” reasons why we cannot speak up and do what we are uniquely positioned to do. As we list the reasons, many would agree with us that we have good reasons for staying silent and not taking action. After all, it might lead to our death—the death of our status, the death of some friendships, the death of our own plans, the death of our leisure time, the death of our employment, the death of our financial standing…these are all rational reasons to not step up and do what God is calling you to do. Yet, our silence and inaction on God’s prompting does not guarantee us that we will not experience the death of these things. Our safety was never guaranteed as a Christ follower. Just the opposite. In Luke 9:23-25 Jesus says,
23“If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. 24For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it. 25For what does it profit a man if he gains the whole world but loses or forfeits himself?” This leads us to Mordecai’s second point. If Queen Esther refuses to speak up to the king, someone else will, but then it will be too late for her and her family to be rescued. We may not be in a situation with this virus where we are facing death by execution if we do not step up and do what God has called us to do, but what would it profit us if we gain everything that we hope our silence and inaction will give us yet we never live up to the very thing we were created for? In essence, what if we lose ourself. God gives us this option, but there is a cost. It will deny us the opportunity to live in the fullness of our purpose and design. It will affect our family and friends. Those around us who would have been inspired to live in the fullness of who God created them to be, may live unfulfilled lives due to the lack of your example. What blessings of living in the fullness of who God created you to be would have flowed down to your family and friends? God knew from the beginning of time that we would live during the days of the virus. He knew the challenges the world would encounter. He knew the struggle that would accompany this season. He knew the heartache and grieving it would cause. He knew how it would become a political war. He knew that people would face many things that would make them want to crawl into their home and hide from the virus. He knew that people would grieve the loss of events and activities they were looking forward to. He knew…and so He created you. Not to be the savior in this situation. There is already one of those and His name is Jesus. He created you with all your skills, talents, passions, and beauty; then He placed you in this dark moment in time. He strategically chose to put you in the family you are in, in the neighborhood you are in, with the friends that you have, with the job that you have, because 14You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. 15Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all the house. 16In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven. (Matthew 5:14-16) Dear friend, this is the moment for which you and I were created! **This was blog one of a two part series. To learn more about how we can follow Queen Esther’s example for living to our full potential in a moment such as this in the next blog, Fulfilling Your Destiny in Such a Time as This.
2 Comments
Kristen Kain
8/19/2020 06:42:42 pm
The story of Esther has been a favorite of mine since childhood! Thank for this reminder that we were created "for such a time as this!"
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8/21/2020 06:09:37 pm
Thanks, Kristen. I am so glad that God created you "for such a time as this!"
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AuthorHello! I am Dawnita Hall. Sometimes I need to put into words the things God is teaching me. This blog is my way of sharing those moments with you with the hopes that what God is using to grow and encourage me will also inspire you. Please, share your thoughts in the comment sections after each post. Let's make this a place where we work together to encourage each other to live inspired to be an inspiration. Archives
February 2021
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