Skip to main content

For Such A Time As This?

 For if you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance for the Jews will arise from another place, but you and your father’s family will perish. And who knows but that you have come to your royal position for such a time as this?” (Esther 4:14)

          As I think about today’s passage, the original Star Wars movie comes to mind; specifically, the scene in which Obi-Wan Kenobi gets R2D2 to play the message from Princess Leia, “Help me, Obi-Wan Kenobi, you’re my only hope.”

The thing is, before Mordecai said the words in our passage today, and after Obi -Wan Kenobi invited Luke to go with him to deliver the data, Esther and Luke made excuses. Making excuses is a time-honored tradition. Moses did it. Aaron did it. Gideon did it. King Saul did it.

You were made for such a time as this – and so was I. I have to admit, I’m not necessarily excited about being made for such a time as this. I had some ideas about how I was going to respond to the pandemic, and quite often, feel useless because I’m not risking my life by caring for a COVID-19 patient. That’s not what’s needed where I am. What’s needed is someone to pull weeds. So here I am, with an MBA and technically five published books (two novels, a chapbook of poetry, and 2 family histories) and I’m pulling weeds… for free. I was made for this?

It reminds me of a story told of either Booker T. Washington or George Washington Carver – both of the Tuskegee Institute. He went to a wealthy home to seek a donation for the institute, and the woman who answered the door sent him to chop wood (as I recall.) He did so, and I think he received a small payment and left. Later, they met at a party of some sort, and she was aghast that she had sent such a noteworthy and important man to go chop wood. He dismissed the insult – and received a generous donation.

Moses was a prince, reduced to shepherding. Esther was a queen, reduced to begging. It’s no big deal if I was made for such a time as this when weeds need to be pulled. It’s no big deal…unless I make it so. We can either be what we were made to be for such a time as this, or we can make excuses, and probably still be what we were made to be for such a time as this.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Right Road

          Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence? If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there. If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast. If I say, “Surely the darkness will hide me and the light become night around me,” even the darkness will not be dark to you; the night will shine like the day, for darkness is as light to you. (Psalm 139:7-12)                  For years before GPSes existed, I told people I wanted something in my car that would tell me, “Turn left in half a mile…turn left in a quarter mile…turn left in 500 feet… turn left in 100 feet…turn left now …You missed the turn, Dummy!” The problem isn’t necessarily that I get lost so much as I’m afraid I’ll get lost. I don’t want to have to spend my whole trip stressing over the next turn. I have the same problem with my spiritual journey.   
Post a Comment
Read more

Died as a Ransom

                 For this reason Christ is the mediator of a new covenant, that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance—now that he has died as a ransom to set them free from the sins committed under the first covenant. (Hebrews 9:15)                  This is something I’d really rather not think about but here it is and it’s important. I was reading in Bold Love about seeking revenge.  The author wrote of seeking justice when a supposed Christian does something sinful, harmful, and/or horrific, like sexually abusing a daughter.  And the thought that came to mind was of God asking if Jesus’ death was sufficient payment to me for the sin committed against me.                I have no specific longing for revenge, vengeance, or justice. I’m sure there are some lurking somewhere in my heart, but this wasn’t a response to one. It was more a question of principle. Jesus’ death was sufficient payment for to God for our sins.  That’s the standard Sunday Schoo
1 comment
Read more

Out of the Depths

  Out of the depths I have cried to You, Lord. Lord, hear my voice! Let Your ears be attentive to the sound of my pleadings.   If You, Lord, were to keep account of guilty deeds, Lord, who could stand? But there is forgiveness with You, so that You may be revered. I wait for the Lord, my soul waits, and I wait for His word. My soul waits in hope for the Lord more than the watchmen for the morning; Yes, more than the watchmen for the morning. Israel, wait for the Lord; for with the Lord there is mercy, and with Him is abundant redemption. And He will redeem Israel from all his guilty deeds . (Psalm 130)             I like Mr. Peterson’s interpretation of the first line. “The bottom has fallen out of my life!” Of course, the problem for some of us is the fact that we’re drama queens, and/or we’re weak. Any time anything happens that disturbs our sense of mastery and control, the bottom has fallen out of our lives. If the past couple of days have taught me anything, they’ve t
1 comment
Read more