Esther

So I have been meaning to post about Refuge wed nite but things always seem to get crazy. But anyway, I want to give a shout out to Sarah Haviland. She really got her preach on Wed nite. She went into the story of Esther, which is my second favorite woman in the bible( Ruth is my fav).

Two particular points stood out to me. The first one was how while Esther was an orphan, her name was "Hadassah." But then when she became queen her name became Esther. And I love this point that Sarah made...Isn't in interesting that once Eshter became queen, she was never referred to as Hadassah. The thought that she had us ponder is could it be that once she became queen, her past was gone and that God only saw her as her new creation... Esther. I love that our past doesn't matter to God because he sees us for who we are. Why is it that so often we let our past affect our future, and what we've done affect what we do.

The second point that had me thinking was how even though Esther was fearful, she remained obedient. And that really hit home for me. Because so often I let fear nestle around in my mind and then get off track for what God would have me do. I love when Esther said "If I perish, I perish. I want to have that kind of courage and will, to do whatever God calls me to do. Overcoming fear builds faith, and lets face it, we are lost without faith.