For Such a Time

"... And who knows whether you have not come to the kingdom for such a time as this?" (Esther 4:14)

Full disclosure: I love the women of the Bible. I love the faithfulness of Hannah and Mary. I love the brilliant military leadership of Deborah. I love the wisdom of Priscilla, the generosity of Dorcas, the business acumen of Phoebe. And can we just talk about Jael for a minute? Sister hammered a tent peg through the head of an enemy. A tent peg.

I've been known to climb on a soapbox when I hear anyone try to downplay the importance of these women by making them out to be pretty, girly princesses. These women were smart, and they were S-T-R-O-N-G.

With that out of the way, let's consider Esther for a minute. One of only two women who had a book of the Bible named for them. And the only book which doesn't mention God a single time.

But Esther also contains one of the most-quoted verses in the Bible, 4:14. I have to be honest, when I hear that verse, I hear it in the voice of Pa Grape. But the verse itself is pretty powerful, no matter whose voice quotes it.

The words took on a new meaning for me, personally, over 17 years ago. I say "over 17" because my daughter is 17, and it was the six years between the birth of my son and Chloe's birth when these words taught me something. During those six years, after the easiest pregnancy and delivery ever, I had three miscarriages. In the midst of that pain, those tears, those doubts, I couldn't keep from asking, "Why me, God?"

I promised these devotionals/blogs would be short and sweet so I'll cut to the chase. After countless prayers from pretty much everyone I know (and especially from my church family), I gave birth to a baby girl who was just about perfect. The nurse in attendance gave her a 9 on the Apgar scale, and said, "The only reason I'm giving her a 9 is that I don't believe in giving 10s." See? Just about perfect.

After that baby was born, it didn't take me long to see I'd learned a lot. And I now use what I learned to encourage younger women who are struggling with miscarriage(s). I explain how discouraged I was during those years. Then I point out that if any of those three babies had lived and been born, we'd have stopped. We only wanted two kids, you see. And I've always believed any of those babies would've been someone other than our Chloe. And I can't imagine a world without Chloe Skye.

So that was my "such a time." Those six years between my kids. I'm not saying God specifically chose me to have those miscarriages, but I do believe we have to learn from, and hopefully use, everything that happens in our lives, both good and bad. My "such a time" was a period of pain and despair, and I learned to use it to encourage others.

FOOD FOR THOUGHT:

• The "time" in Esther was used to help the Israelites. Mine is used to encourage young women struggling with miscarriage. What is your "such a time" moment, and how can you use it to help others?