I Am Pooped

Ok… so here are some things that stood out to me during this section of our Beth Moore Esther Bible Study… if you are in my class OR doing the study yourself feel free to chime in. I’m going to tag those that I think might be interested in this discussion. (Tagging was done on Facebook)

pg 83 — Think of the last time you saw someone “wailing loudly and bitterly.” How did you react inside and why?

I was horrified, I thought it was scary, and I questioned the individual’s sanity. After allowing myself to go back there… I then thought of my now 3 year old throwing a temper tantrum. I suppose that would be an example that might fit right in, eh? :-)

pg 84 — I underlined in the middle of the page: Saving lives is worth losing face every time.

That makes me think a lot about abortion. To me, it’s worth it to lose face if it means the poorest of the poor (the unborn baby) does not have a chance to live because they have no voice or ability to choose for themselves.

pg 86 — I underlined at the top of the page: Remember, all Scripture is God-breathed!

The personal question on that page was: Has God ever allowed threat of trouble in your life to drive you to your knees? If so, what did you learn through the experience? I put: God always works it out no matter what is going on in your life OR in the world.

pg 90 — In the middle of the page I underlined: strength comes from muscle, and muscle develops with a workout. This is as true spiritually as physically. What we don’t use, we lose.

I underlined that because I have been working out a lot at the gym lately. My metabolism has slowed down quite a bit and it’s so true… what we don’t use, we lose. So I like to be slightly sore after a workout because I know that my muscles know that something is trying to happen at the gym. LOL :-)

At the bottom of that same page I underlined: We are not the fragile flowers we’ve considered ourselves to be. We, like Esther, are the warrior princesses of God.

I love that because it instills me that yes, it’s ok to speak up about hot topics. It’s ok to have an opinion on something and to share it with others. We, as women, do not have to be seen and not heard.

pg 96 — At the top I underlined: Why is a Jewish woman the Queen of Persia at such a time as this? Must it not be providence? Must it not be God? It goes on to say in the next paragraph: We see God’s providence in Esther’s life because her position held such importance, but perhaps you’re having trouble relating this to your life. At first, I did too. We may think Mordecai’s exhortation to Esther has little relevance to us. How much do we really have in common? For starters, we’re not queens, nor do many of us hold the kinds of high positions that invite an obvious parallel. Furthermore, we can’t imagine the fulfillment of one comparatively insignificant destiny affecting so much or so many. You and I are about to have the opportunity to test how much we believe God about who we are and the positions we hold.

Then you guys doing the study know of the excercise at hand. We get these verses and I’ll share which ones I picked:

Matthew 11:11 — Spiritually (I don’t know why I picked that one)
Matthew 13:11-12 — Literally
Luke 17:20-21 — Literally
1 Corinthians 4:20 — Literally
1 Peter 2:9 — Literally
Revelation 1:6 — Literally
Revelation 5:9-10 — Literally

What did you guys pick and why?

pg 97 — These are the parts on the page that I have underlined: The crimson bloodline of Christ flows through your veins. “for such a time as this.” then “a time to be born and a time to die.” “we were also chosen, having been predestined according to the plan of Him who works everything in conformity with the purpose of His will” and We can refuse to walk in obedience to God or cower in fear from our calling and He will undoubtedly still accomplish His agenda.

WOW, WOW… where do I start?

I guess the part about how the bloodline of Christ flows through my veins. Do I need to even share on t his one? It just leaves me in AWE. It leaves me feeling as if it is worth it to read and study ALL of my bible and not just parts of it. It makes me want to know Christ even more! The very nature of God!

I’ve always thought about what my purpose in life was supposed to be. When I look at it it seems as if I’m supposed to do some sort of great thing, etc. Reading this section made me realize that just the fact that I am alive, having given birth to my children, and yes… am a stay at home Mom… for today that is part of God’s ideas for me for now. It makes me realize that I am totally open to whatever He has planned for me big OR small because even if I think some of the things that I do are small… it’s really not as small as my understanding of them. These little things are actually big things.

It also got me thinking about my computer and why I have spent so much time on it over the years. I’ve prayed about it… and have even questioned it… and know that God is going to help me with this and show me what it is I’m supposed to figure out… whatever that might be. (The sun just came out and shined really bright as I typed this part out) LOL :-)

I don’t want to cower in fear from my calling even if that calling is not clear to me today. I hope and pray that I do or am doing exactly what it is He wants me to be doing… one day at a time. I’m not afraid. Not any more. I used to be afraid and I used to worry about what other people think about my stances on things… but not so much any more. God tells us not to be afraid (as was pointed out in the next video)… so why should I be afraid? God’s always with me no matter what is going on good, bad OR indifferent.

pg 98 — I underlined a few things on that page but the one thing that sticks out is this: I had to accept that I was not called to an easy life. I was called to a purposeful life. Then on the page it says: Are you coming to some of the same conclusion? If so, what circumstance have helped you? I wrote: Too many difficult moments to count but in the end helped to shape who I am.

IT’S TRUE!! And who do I think I am to assume that just because I’m a believer that I’m not going to have good days and bad days? Many times people associate bad things with punishment from God. I don’t really view it as punishment from God as much as I do a result of a poor choice that I made OR a situation that I could have not seen coming. ie a car accident, etc. Life’s hills are not going anywhere… we have to climb up in order to come down… It’s how we handle the situation and how confident we are in knowing that God is going to help see us through the situation… right?

At the bottom of the page I highlighted in bright yellow: Beloved, in the time of greatest struggle when you make the Godward decision over convenience, earthly comfort, or carnal pleasure, you too have come to a critical moment in the fulfillment of your destiny. A defining moment. A war is being waged over your head in the unseen realm, and a great cloud of witnesses is cheering you on. You have no idea what’s at stake.

:: big sigh ::

pg 100 — At the bottom of the page I underlined: In a book of the Bible with no mention of God, fasting indicates prayer.

For the first time ever I learned that fasting had to do with prayer. I had no idea. I thought fasting was just another ritual that people did just because that’s what they did. I didn’t realize that people that fasted were indicative of praying.

pg 102 — I underlined: “In a crisis situation such as this, there was no neutral position. Failure to decide brings personal loss and misses the opportunity to fulfill God’s purposes.” Then the personal question said: Circle “failure to decide.” What do those words convey to you personally? I wrote: Taking a neutral position.

How many times has somebody brought you to a hot topic OR a hot discussion and you insisted on taking the neutral position? Sometimes there is No neutral position and you have to get the gumption to SPEAK UP and make a decision. People that take neutral positions on things remind me of people that like to sweep things under the rug OR avoid discussion because they know the discussion has the potential of generating negative feedback. Are all the discussions and situations that we ever find ourselves in always going to be pleasant? No, I don’t believe they will be and why should they always be?

Then I underlined, and I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE this one: FAILURE TO DECIDE IS TO DECIDE ON FAILURE.

Take that to the bank!

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