for a purpose… the Mordecai question
Please indulge me as I tell you a true story… It was a golden age. The nation had triumphed at war; the economy was prosperous, and the people enjoyed their newfound affluence. The nation enjoyed her emerging status as a world superpower. Women of wealth enjoyed elaborate cosmetic makeovers (a combination of diet, exercise, and beauty treatments), while other notable women contested for respect and their rights. Nevertheless, it was still a very conservative era when every man was encouraged to be king of his own castle.
The country is Persia. The place is Susa, the nation’s capital. The time is 486-465 BC. The king is Ahasuerus, in the third year of his reign, and his queen is Esther. Her ascent to the throne came by way of her beauty, not her bloodline. She was truly the Cinderella, the Princess Kate Middleton of her day. Her life as a royal was a far cry from the life she had known as a child.
Esther, born Hadassah, was orphaned as a child when her parents were taken captive in Jerusalem and carried away to Persia. She was adopted and raised by her older cousin, Mordecai, under whose tutelage imparted a love for her Jewish heritage and faith. And so it was that Hadassah, the spoil of war, trafficked for her beauty, became the young woman Esther– a woman whose beauty and grace would ultimately capture the king’s gaze and later his affection. Twelve months after their first meeting, she would be made queen. By all accounts, she was loved and popular– her husband even established a national holiday in her honor. But there is a storm on the horizon, and Esther is on a collision course with her destiny…
Ahasuerus appoints a new Prime Minister who conspires to settle the Jewish question once and for all. He capitalizes upon the pride and prejudice of his day as he promises the king a great multiplication of wealth once the Jews are disposed of –– some arguments never change. Genocide is now the order of the day.
Mordecai enjoins Esther to use her position of influence to stay the king’s hand but he is abruptly rebuffed. Esther professes helplessness and protests that she, too, will be killed if she walks into the king’s inner court uninvited. But Mordecai will not be dissuaded and exhorts her with words that ring out across the centuries: “Who knows? Perhaps you have come to royal dignity for such a time as this.”
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Mordecai's question exhorts us to rediscover our sense of purpose. Like Esther, it is not by accident that you are where you are. Even if this is a season of transition, you have a God-given purpose for being where you are. If not you, then who is God calling to exercise the watchful care of others where you are? If not you, then who is God calling to show forth energy, fidelity, tenacity, generosity, and grace where you are? If not you, then who is God calling to sacrificially serve and illuminate the presence of Jesus and His kingdom where you are? If not you, then who?
It is from within this context that I have been reflecting on my own statement:
I have a purpose.
My purpose is to multiply God's Kingdom presence anywhere I have the opportunity.
I won't be happy until and unless I am living out my purpose.
I can best fulfill my purpose as part of a Kingdom community
Since I have no guarantee of mortal life tomorrow, I must pursue my purpose today.
Dear ones, I believe you are where you are for such a time as this…
