The Defining Moment

I have been thinking alot about defining moments lately. About the things that really make your life-well...come to life. The moments that change the way you think, the way you do things, or completely transforms your life all together.

A couple of my defining moments have been on my mind lately and I have been gently reminded how incredible God is and how FAITHFUL he has been.

I began to think about defining moments in the Bible....

Adam-He got Eve-someone to be WITH him, to complete him, to keep him company because God saw he was alone.
Noah-He got a boat, lots of animals, and a new start-all because he said YES to a crazy request
Moses-He saved a people he didn't even know that he belonged to until he was grown-it all started with murder.
Abraham-He got to keep his son-all because he was going to kill him-a sacrifice-because God told him too and because of his faith, God provided a ram to be put in his son's place. And while we are on the subject of that-look at the parallel between Abraham's story and the story of Jesus Christ being the sacrifice for us.

I could keep going-listing more that I have been having a good time uncovering. But I wanted to highlight 2 people specifically and some of the phrases that seem like their "defining moments".

Let's start with Ruth.
After a really crazy roller coaster ride-or exotic camel ride-you take your pick :-) Ruth, her sister, and Naomi set out to go back to Naomi's homeland. At some point in this trip Orpah decides she just wants to be with her family-after all her husband is dead and there is nothing for her to go to back in Naomi's home land. She leaves-and it's in that moment that one of Ruth's MANY defining moments stick out to me:

The Message: Ruth 1:16-17
But Ruth said, "Don't force me to leave you; don't make me go home. Where you go, I go; and where you live, I'll live. Your people are my people, your God is my god; where you die, I'll die, and that's where I'll be buried, so help me God—not even death itself is going to come between us!"

That is amazing to me! She has already gone thru so much in regards to the death of her husband, brother-in-law, and father-in-law and now she is willing to not only leave her home, her family, etc. all of which she probably won't ever see again-and go to a place she has never been- and even more-refuse to stay when given the  opportunity!

Another thing that just amazes me with Ruth is the love story between her and Boaz. It's romantic if you think about. A woman who is a foreigner, gleaning wheat for her mother-in-law, having special treatment given to her by a man she didn't know, all because she gave up her homeland, her family, and chose to stay with her mother-in-law.

She not only gets to marry the guy-but she has a son-Obed-who was the father of Jesse-and Jesse who was the father of King David-who just so happens to be in the family line of Jesus.

I don't think that in her wildest dreams that Ruth-a widow, a stranger in a new land-would have ever thought that she would be so blessed-all because her phrase, her moment, her willingness....all because she said yes.


Another person whose defining moments stick out to me is Esther. Her story has been my favorite for the longest time. Maybe it's the mental pictures that I get when I go read the story, maybe it's the video in my head, maybe it's her courage-who knows-whatever it is though-it's something that just gets to me every time I read the story.

I could probably write a hundred pages on Esther-but here is the short and sweet preview of the story
(My paraphrase of the Message-can it get more paraphrased?!)

Queen Vashti didn't want to be shown off
Makes King Xerxes mad
Throws her out
Needs a new queen
Esther gets chosen
Bad guys enter
Stuff happens
Esther saves the day.

Obviously I'm leaving alot out. If you are heartbroken over this-read it in the book of Esther.

There are so many things that pop out to me about this story-like I said I could write pages-hopefully my profs who read my blog don't get any bright ideas.

But I wanted to point out the couple that I think are really important to me. Keep in mind that some of the adjectives are just my over imagination kicking in.

Esther was an incredibly beautiful woman. The King fell in love with her immediately and made her his queen in place of Vashti. An even longer story short the King had a real jerk of a staff member named Hamen. He hated Esther's Uncle Mordecai and made life real difficult for him. Hamen hated the Jews and wanted them destroyed-an earlier less horrific Holocaust.

Here is the moment that always gets me. Esther finds out about this-all this time her identity has been hidden-the king, Hamen, none of them know that she herself is a Jew. It is in the wise words of her Uncle that her defining moment takes place:

The Message: Esther 4: 12-16
When Hathach told Mordecai what Esther had said, Mordecai sent her this message: "Don't think that just because you live in the king's house you're the one Jew who will get out of this alive. If you persist in staying silent at a time like this, help and deliverance will arrive for the Jews from someplace else; but you and your family will be wiped out. Who knows? Maybe you were made queen for just such a time as this."  Esther sent back her answer to Mordecai: "Go and get all the Jews living in Susa together. Fast for me. Don't eat or drink for three days, either day or night. I and my maids will fast with you. If you will do this, I'll go to the king, even though it's forbidden. If I die, I die."

The phrase in there: "Maybe you were made queen for such a time as this".
For such a time as this.

I can just picture it-Esther walking thru an elaborately decorated courtyard, dressed in beautiful clothes, scared out her mind, but walking with confidence and determination knowing that the Lord her God was with her-and that she was the only hope for her people.

The end of story is like all great stories of courage-the bad guy dies, the good guy gets what he deserves, and Esther and her people are free.

If there was ever a question about the faithfulness of God, a question about can lives really be changed by just obeying-by just stepping out in faith-the answer is yes and my proof is in the best selling book of all time.