Faithchick: For such a time as this...

For such a time as this...

"For if you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance for the Jews will arise from another place, but you and your father's family will perish. And who knows but that you have come to royal position for such a time as this?" (Esther 4:14, NIV)

This morning, one of my twins was student of the month for his class. The character trait? Honesty.

I trudged in to watch and smile as he was on the morning TV show, looking less than glamorous.

"Are you on your way to the gym," my neighbor asked, joining his sparkly beautiful wife to take pictures of their daughter, also being honored.

"Um, no," I said, looking down at my shoes best worn at home and my deceiving athletic pants. I'm not going to the gym today. I haven't been there in a while. In truth, I can no longer afford my membership, but I didn't want to tell him that. My boy was being honored for telling the truth and I already feel like a liar.

Do you ever feel like that? Like at any moment someone is going to run up and take away your card to write, mother, believe, love because you've been found out? I feel like that today. I have a book that's overdue, a radio interview (thank God! There's not enough makeup in the world today for TV!), people to love, places to go...

And I'm basically hoping my skirt will button and I don't cough on anybody. It's like this at the end of books sometimes, especially since I started this one so long ago. Almost ten years ago, in fact. This "the end" seems like a turning point, although I don't know where or into what.

And for once, that's good.

Because for all the books I can write, all the interviews I can do, the bottom line is that our world is in need of relief and deliverance, just as Esther's people were. Though she was afraid and may have had a snag on her sarong or run out of beauty cream, she answered the call. She honored the gift. She did it all knowing that perhaps, she had been brought to the place where she was for a reason...for such a time as this.

So pray for me as I type these last words and speak on the airwaves. Though I'd like to ask that you'd pray for my words to be bold and courageous, I'll go straight to the really scary, really wonderful part: pray that I'll be OBEDIENT. I'll be praying that for you too.

BUCK UP. GRAB YOUR LIP GLOSS AND RATTLE OFF A PRAYER. IT MIGHT NOT BE HOW YOU PLANNED IT, BUT YOU'RE HERE FOR A REASON. BE BRAVE ENOUGH...TO OBEY.