And he brought up Hadassah, that [is], Esther, his uncle's daughter: for she had neither father nor mother, and the maid [was] fair and beautiful; whom Mordecai, when her father and mother were dead, took for his own daughter. (Esther 2:7)
In a photo album on Facebook, titled "Thirty Days of Beth", is a photograph of someone I'd want to trade places with. I chose Esther. The caption under the the photo reads: " She won a beauty contest, became Queen, was a woman of God whose boldness and fearlessness under pressure preserved the line of David, of which our Savior was born! I'd wanna be HER!!!"
Esther was not your average, run-of-the-mill beauty. She had brains, too! She was "adopted" by Mordecai and he raised her as his own child. How proud he must have been of her when she became the bride of Xerxes; Queen of Persia! She had her work cut out for her, though.
It doesn't really much matter how we get to where we are, as long as we get there...or does it??? The road we take on our journey with Christ can be filled with joy and praise or it can be filled with rocks and pain. It's the same road. What makes the difference is your point of view. If we start out bold and confident and continue on in the same manner, chances are we will experience much joy. Often we start out on the right foot, with the best of intentions and somewhere along the way, we get sidetracked. Sometimes finding our way back onto that road is more difficult than we had imagined. When the "detours" in our lives begin, we need to pay even closer attention to the details than we would normally. Once we've stepped off the map, finding our way back without a compass can be more trying than the actually journey itself.
We have all been adopted into the family of God (those of us who are born again). He has provided a guide for our earthly journey. The Holy Spirit enlightens and guides us every day, in every step - if we allow Him to. We are, as I've said so often, children of the King. We are special; we have a royal destiny. Do you really think that He's going to allow you to get lost again??? Never!!! Once you've become His, you are always His. The detours you encounter on your journey are merely that, detours. You are, even though it doesn't seem like it, still on the road He's chosen for you.
God is proud of the efforts we make. He wants us to succeed! He wants us to give Him the glory for all of them. From the simplest act to our greatest accomplishment - none of it would be possible without His consent. Thank Him for that! Thank Him for the choices you've made that may not have been the greatest, because even in them, there is joy! They bring you to where you are now and who you have become. If you aren't happy with who you have become, maybe you need to examine your heart and soul. Maybe you haven't come to terms with what He's called you to do. Maybe you haven't responded to His invitation yet. Now would be a good time!
Rejoice in all things. You never know when the pain you suffer at any given moment could be the difference in the lives you have yet to touch!
