A sparce, dry land. A pasture unplowed. A field unplanted. A hand with one seed, one plant, one word to offer hope.
Ever played what if?
Would I be writing today if it hadn't been for Miss Laury who encouraged me in 6th grade? Would I ever have been a minister's wife if Marlene had not visited me in New England on a below freezing afternoon in 1975? Would there be a youth minister at our former churches if we hadn't made that a priority part of our ministries? Would I even be writing this to you if it hadn't been for a friend who got me started in blogging? These are things that come barreling into my mind at times. Are you doing what you are doing today because of some person God placed in your life long ago? Recently?
"...Yet who knows whether you have come to the kingdom for such a time as this?" Esther 4:14b.
Sometimes we need to consider the influence others have meant to us. Even unfavorable relationships add discernment and wisdom into how to proceed in a situation. I'm grateful I have people who continually stand up and encourage me to stand strong in the Lord.
I find myself at a time when Christians are mocked, God is rejected, and faith is often met with sarcastic jokes. I recognize that what I say can easily be skewered, debated and argued. My individual beliefs are scorned. And yet, nothing I face at this time is nearly as life-threatening as what Esther faced when she stood up for her fellow Jews. I don't know whether I "have come to the kingdom for such a time as this." But I am leaning on my Lord to ascertain I do not keep silent in things which He wants me to say. How about you? selahV
[© SelahV Today, hariette petersen, 2008]