One of my favorite stories in the bible is the story of Queen Esther. Although the name of God is never mentioned in this book, you can clearly see the hand of God all over her story. God alone was orchestrating each detail of Esther’s life. It truly is a remarkable story. Challenge this week: Read Esther! Try thinking like her. Put yourself in her shoes and watch how it all unfolds.
Many expectations were placed on women that lived in the day and time of the book of Esther. As a woman, a wife and a mother of 3, there are many expectations on my life even today. As I wrote about and posted yesterday on my personal account @solomontara and on Facebook, I can NOT keep up! I can not meet all the expectations others put on my life, our culture unintentionally sometimes put on us as women and even our church puts on us. Let’s also admit we load up the expectations on ourselves as well. We have laundry and all the daily mundane tasks on our shoulders. We have kids schedules and work responsibilities. We are stretched thin and all we want to do is rest and “just be” rather than do. Or perhaps we would be so bold as to say out loud we have other dreams or admit we have a passion for a certain job or ministry.
Everyone has an opinion on how your life should look and yet the only one we must answer to and honor is God. So why is it we look to Him for approval, guidance and direction LAST after all other ideas and counsel we can possibly seek out? We must have an obligation out of love and reverence for the King of Kings to lay down our life for Him DAILY. We must seek his counsel above all others.
We must also choose a FEW voices around us that can provide wise counsel. These are the ones we choose to listen to as we seek to live out a life reflecting Christ and His character. These voices for me are first and foremost, my husband, who has always pointed me to Christ and His direction in all things. Then, there are my mom, my precious in-laws and a few family and friends that are not afraid to tell me the truth even when I don’t want to hear it. They point me to God’s word – not just their opinion – in every decision. They lift me up in prayer and give me back to the Lord to be used by Him, how he sees fit.
Even in churches, there are opinions and personal views on how my life should look. In the book Restless, Jennie Allen she says, “We must separate biblical mandates from cultural Christian values.”
Esther had one main counsel, her cousin, Mordecai. If you want to see this story come to life, I recommend the movie, “One Night with the King.” Bottom line is, I am only called to be obedient to Christ!!! I heard a quote recently and can’t remember where to give credit but it was said, “Other people’s opinions of you are none of your business.” It just doesn’t matter nor should I waste my time and energies worrying about it.
Christ alone do I want to satisfy and He alone can satisfy me.
Why ladies are we so hard on each other? Another quote from the book Restless says, “Together, if we could cheer for each other instead of criticize, and obey instead of compare, and fear God instead of being paralyzed with fear of man, we could watch God just flat show off in front of us.”
What is important is to not let the voice and calling of God be silenced by the voices around you. Do you allow the world and others opinions to drown out the voice of God in your life? Do you have something nagging at your heart? Are you longing for more of God? A lot of us, if we are honest, are afraid. We hold our dreams close to our heart but our passions have a purpose. They were engineered for God’s greater plan and He intends for us to use them for His glory.
In Restless, Jennie Allen explores how to intentionally weave together all the threads of your life. Using the story of Joseph, she explains how his suffering, gifts, and relationships fit into the greater story of God and how our stories can do the same. God has placed each of these in our care for a reason.
YOU were made by God; designed for His glory and for a specific purpose! Jennie asks in her book, “What would happen if God got bigger than your fear, insecurity and you spent the rest of your life RUNNING without reservation after His purposes for you?” We must release control of our lives and surrender to the leadership of Christ over our every day.
Esther found herself in a hard place. Esther sought wise counsel. Esther’s steps were directed like a watercourse by a sovereign God. Esther had her time in history. Esther fulfilled her purpose which effected her people. And she did all this for the glory of God.
Now is YOUR story! You and your story matter. Now is your time to live for Him! Now is the time for you to make a difference in the lives of those God has entrusted to you – for His glory.
As we were reminded in the story of Esther, we were placed here “for such a time as this.” (Esther 4:14)
Hope this encourages you in your season and for your purpose for today!
Love you 1,000 elephants!
Your Rooted and Restless Friend,
Tara
In case you were interested in the book I kept referring to I have added a picture of it. I highly recommend it and love that I found it marked down on Amazon!!
I was truly inspired by your sweet words. Thank you, PRECIOUS ONE.
hugs and kisses!!!!