Well, today has been a day for deep thinking for me. I guess it's more of a day that I'm actually writing/typing about some of my deep thinking. I'm pretty sure that most people have heard and possibly used the saying "blessed to be a blessing," and in my mind, it's a bit over-used (but I have to admit I have used it a few times myself). Though, there are a few times when we use the saying in concerns to a situation and everyone in the conversation will say, "Uh, yeah, hello, definitely a blessed to bless situation." One of the best examples of this that comes to mind is the story of Esther. Here is a young woman who was raised by her cousin, Mordecai, and is placed into a position by God to blow the mind of the King of Persia with her beauty and becomes his queen. Her being placed in this position allows her to become a blessing to her people, the chosen people of God, the Jews.
She trusted God and she trusted in the godly advise that her cousin, Mordecai, gave her. Because of this trust, this faith, when the time came, though she had fear, Esther stepped out in faith with the knowledge that she could possibly be killed for just simply approaching the king's throne without him summoning her to see him. When it was evident that she was in the favor of the king to approach his throne, she needed to have more trust and faith in God and in the advice given to her by Mordecai, faith that she was making the right decision to say that she was extending an invitation to the king and Haman, the official responsible to have a decree made to annihilate the Jews, to attend a feast she had prepared for them.
When the first feast had ended, she invited the king and Haman to a second feast. It was during the second feast that Esther had more faith than she probably ever thought that she had and unraveled Haman's hopes and plans to destroy the Jews. Because of Esther's faith, the king had Haman killed and had a second decreed issued stating that the Jews must do whatever it takes to protect themselves from what would come when the first decree would go into effect.
As Americans, how often do we allow ourselves to trust and have faith in God and godly people who advise us in God's wisdom when the time calls for us to trust and have faith and to step out in that faith? We probably allow things to get in the way, whether it is pride, fear, uncertainty, or whatever it may be, but we allow ourselves to be convinced that we're too good to stoop down to sit down in the mud and speak out for those who "aren't good enough" to hang with us (God forbid we might ruin our fancy Adidas shoes and Abercrombie and Fitch jeans), or that we're not good enough to speak up and say that something that may be happening is wrong and that the will that is setting wrongful things into motion needs to realize that those who will be affected will be affected for worse than for better. The list is endless.
Why do I not speak up when I know I should? Why am I so afraid of what people will say? I know that my family, friends, and co-workers support me in what I stand for, why don't I support myself? I need to let God whisper in my ear that I am His child and that He has chosen me to be apart of His will, and I need to listen to Him instead of letting Satan's weeds grow in my heart and mind.
Do I trust God enough to step out in faith? Do we trust God enough to step out in faith?
