Strength and Dignity....

Tonight our small group continued our study of Esther.

As we studied, I had to wonder what it would have been like. What would Steve had done when the king's men knocked on the door and required our daughters to come with them? What would have happened had I answered the door? Would I have shut the door and denied them access to our home?

It was a different time. There was no option. What did they see in her? They saw her beauty. It was deeper than that. They saw that beauty in the king's harem. Esther was given a special place and servants were chosen to be with her. There was something significantly different about her. She stood out above the crowd. Her physical beauty (enhanced by 12 months of beauty treatments) was one thing, but there was something else about this woman.

I wonder what people see in me. Do you ever wonder what people see in you? What do they see when you are frustrated? How about angry? Do they see the inner strength and beauty that Christ has placed there?

Too many times, I think that my circumstances should dictate my behavior. Esther's behavior was enhanced by her circumstances. So what was so wrong with her circumstances? 12 months of massage, make-overs, and pampering? Does that sound awful to you? Now think about being in a group of up to 400+ women all clamoring for the same thing...the Persian Queen's crown. What do you think that environment would be like?

God gives us wings to stay above our circumstances. He knows the situations that we will be facing and that we will be tested and pressed. It is His Spirit that He desires to be what is evident in our lives.

I love watching eagles. They don't seem to be impacted by the weather. They fly higher than the turbulence. They seek to be above the weather yet they can focus their eyes on their prey.

Today, as you fly through your day, soar above the tedious, mind-numbing, daily "grind" and fly to greater heights. God has something for you to do. What is it? Maybe it is just that someone who is watching you, needs to see the strength and dignity that comes with being engulfed in the love of the Savior. It might be showing the love of Christ to the one who is not so lovable.

Father, make me an instrument of your love. Give me the courage to stand up for you when it would be easier to cave in to the pressures of the group. Lord, help those around me to see your presence in my life. Jesus, help me to be the one that can stand out in the crowd and that people will see your face, your love, and your cross. In your precious name, AMEN