Day 17: For such a time as this

Reflect

In the book of Esther, a young woman finds herself in an unexpected position of influence at a moment of great danger for her people. She did not plan it. She is afraid to act, because acting could cost her everything. Her relative Mordecai sends her a challenge: if you stay silent, relief will come from somewhere else, but who knows whether you have come to your position for such a time as this?

It is a question, not a promise about how things will turn out. Mordecai does not promise the outcome. He invites Esther to consider that her circumstances might be more than coincidence, and that the gifts and position she has might be for something. And Esther, afraid, chooses to step forward.

You are not Esther, and your situation is different. But the question applies in a gentle way to anyone in a time of change. Is it possible that some of what you have lived through, learned and become has prepared you for something that this moment needs?

Consider the particular season we are in. Many people are anxious about work and meaning. Many feel they are losing a sense of purpose. If you have been through that, if you have named your fear, grieved your loss and asked who you are, you have something to offer to others in the same place. Not as an expert, and not as someone who has it all worked out, but as someone who has walked part of the road.

We should be careful not to put pressure on this. A calling does not have to be dramatic. It may be as simple as being the person who is steady in a conversation, or who helps a neighbour with something practical. Small, faithful actions count.

Today, hold the question lightly: what might my circumstances, and my history, be for? You do not need an answer. Asking is the beginning.

Verse

“and who knoweth whether thou art come to the kingdom for such a time as this?”

Esther 4:14 (KJV)

Journal

What have I lived through or learned that might be useful to someone else who is where I was recently?

One small action

Think of one person who might be struggling with work or purpose right now. Send them a short, kind message, with no advice attached.

A 60-second breath prayer

Breathe in: “Here I am, Lord”

Breathe out: “use me as you wish”

Breathe slowly for about a minute, saying the first line as you breathe in and the second as you breathe out.