Dear Healthcare Worker & Anyone struggling | Mom So hard

Perhaps, you were made for such a time as this...

​You were born for such a time as this!”- #esther414

I woke up with this quote/verse heavy on my heart Monday morning.

There’s no doubt in my mind that it was put there by God, after working two crazy busy shifts over the weekend with both overwhelmed and eager coworkers.

I went to bed Sunday night proud of the work our team put in for those two shifts, but also hurting for that same team and others in similar situations.

We are tired. We are burnt out. We are scared and concerned. We are questioning many things.

Though I don’t understand the reasoning behind all that is going on in our world. No one can. I do know that while we may question why this is happening, why we are in the position we are in, why we chose careers we did, why to so many things; GOD HAS A PURPOSE AND A PLAN. 

No, we may never truly understand His plans, or His purpose; but, we can rest in faith and be grateful for at least a couple of things. We can be grateful that we know His plans are way better than anything we could imagine or come up with on our own. We also should feel blessed for His faithfulness, He has never let me down, and He continues to keep my family safe.

So here are a few things I want to share with my fellow momma, my fellow teammates, my fellow health care worker, teachers and anyone else struggling right now:

God has YOU in this spot, and He has reason and purpose. If ever you feel in doubt of this, please go to Him in prayer, and ask Him to remind you of your why. Open your heart and He will remind you of why you are where you are at. 

YOU can do hard things, and we can do them well because of HIM. His timing and purpose is always perfect.

You may feel ordinary, but let me assure you, you are not! God uses anyone for His plan. God uses the most seemingly ordinary people to do EXTRAORDINARY things!! 

You feel alone? Look around! God places mentors in our lives, sometimes unexpectedly, to teach us and share wisdom.

Feeling tired and burnt out? Sis, your strength comes not from you! When you are overwhelmed, stressed, or feeling you are about to give up- keep going. Turn to Him, let Him do the work for you! Let Him fight for you! God has promised us that the Holy Spirit will never leave us! (Esther 4 & John 7:16-18). Stop trying to control the outcomes, everything is in His timing. Stop, pray and wait. Let him work!

We see all of these things listed above in the book of Esther. Not only did we learn about Esther's purpose in the kingdom, but we learned about how God uses "ordinary" people to help in His plan.

God placed people in Esther's life to help her and show her who she was meant to be, and some of these same people would help queen Esther save the Jews. You see, King Xerxes (who was freshly divorced), decided to have a beauty pageant (so to speak) to find his next Queen; all the virgins in his kingdom were to come and participate. Total Bachelor feels, here! 

In comes Esther. She was beautiful woman, raised by her cousin, Mordecai, after her parents passed away. Before Mordecai sent her off to the palace, he warned her to not tell anyone of her nationality, as it would be very dangerous for her, as the Jews were hated by many,

A man named Hegai was placed in charge of helping the women in preparation for the women to meet the king.  Hegai thought Esther was the most beautiful woman, and that granted her special attention. He gave Esther extra help and taught her what the king was expecting and what he was looking for in a bride. 

Esther stunned King Xerxes with her beauty and he was immediately drawn to her. He chose her to be his queen, and held a lavish banquet for her, his new queen. 

Esther's cousin Mordecai had more than purpose in God's plan. Yes, he raised Esther, but he also was able to help Esther build trust in her relationship with the king. One night while Mordecai was sitting by the king's gate, he over heard two guards discussing plans to murder King Xerxes. Mordecai went to Esther immediately and told her of what he had heard. Esther, of course went to the king and told him, giving credit to Mordecai. The two guards were hung. 

We truly find Esther's purpose in the fourth chapter. 

A man named Haman, who was considered the King's right hand man. I think the best way to describe a man like Haman would be self-centered, egotistical- well, I there is another word that comes to mind, but I'll keep this post clean! When Mordecai refused to bow down to the king, Haman was infuriated and sent into a rage. Haman of course, found out Mordecai was a Jew and then sought revenge against him and every Jew in the kingdom. 

Haman was determined to kill the not only just Mordecai, but every Jew in the kingdom. He concocted an evil plan, and convinced the king that the Jews hated the King and wanted him dead. So, the plan Haman had was to have all the Jews killed, to protect the king. The king of course, agreed to Haman's plan, being that he was his most trusted advisor. The date was set for the Jews to be killed. 

Once again, Mordecai learned of this plan and ran to Esther with the news. He encouraged her to approach the king and attempt to stop it. That was not something a queen did. A queen did not just approach the king, without being called upon first. Not to mention, she was terrified for her own life. 

At first, Esther was not going to say anything. Mordecai pressured her again, that she must try to save the Jewish people. Eventually, Esther requested that all of the Jews join her in a three day and three night fast. Once the fast had ended she would then approach the king and request him to cancel he and Haman's plans. 

Esther approached the king after the three day fast had ended. The king was generous to Esther, before she could even make her request, he was offering her over half the kingdom! Esther requested that the king and Haman join her at a banquet scheduled for the following day. King Xerxes was happy to oblige his queen and agreed to the banquet. 

Even though the plans were set to kill the Jews, Haman was still in a fury of rage. The morning before the banquet, he set  up a pole to impale Mordecai. 

Meanwhile, the king was sleepless. He tossed and turned and just could not fall asleep. He began to read the book of the kingdom. This book listed everything that has occurred during his reign. At that point, he was reminded that it was Mordecai who saved his life by sharing the plot the guards had to assassinate him. 

This is where we see God use "ordinary" people to help in His plan. Had Hegai not seen something in Esther she may not have stood a chance to be chosen as queen. Hegai was not the "staring role" of this story, but he played a supporting role in God's plan. I tell you all of this to remind you, that God uses everyone. Even when you feel like your role in life at the moment is small or not important, God is using you. YOU HAVE PURPOSE!

Look at Mordecai, he played a pivotal role in Esther's life and in the Jews' lives. God used him to raise Esther, helping her become the person who was brave enough to stand up for the Jews, the woman the king seems to have thought the world of. He raised her under God's direction to be brave and kind, and to put others first! He then showed up again and again to help Esther, the king, and the Jews. Mordecai shared God's message to Esther when she was doubting herself (that she was born for this!). 

Esther and the Jews fasted for three days and three nights, right? That was her way of waiting on God. She did a lot of praying and asking for God's help during those three days. God showed up and moved for Esther and her people. While Esther was waiting on the perfect time to ask that the king spare her people, God kept King Xerxes up at night allowing him to read the book of the kingdom. That was God!! See what happens when we wait on Him!?