For Such a Time as This
By Lisa Moffitt
I vividly remember days when I would find myself wondering if my children were simply placed here to torture me. All I could see was spilled milk, splattered peas, and baby beds finger-painted with "diaper paint." On those days I lost sight of my hope and let my focus diffuse.
It was during one of these challenging days that I happened across the story of Queen Esther in the Bible. Mordecai, Esther's Jewish relative, had just informed her of a plot to kill the Jewish people. Mordecai asked Esther to speak to the king and save her people.
Esther was hesitant — afraid that the king would kill her. She was living the good life. Why should she put herself through such a frightening ordeal?
You were chosen "for such a time as this" was Mordecai's simple response to Esther (Esther 4:14).
"Oh, yes," I said to myself, as I trudged through my daily routine of dirty diapers, dishes, and laundry. "I was chosen for such a time as this."
It was an autumn day, months after the “bed finger-paint” episode, that my four-year-old daughter, Jessica, found a snail that she named Sally. All three of my children played with Sally all day. Even I loved Sally. Anything that held their attention that long could not be bad.
That night Jessica carefully tucked Sally into a plastic butter dish. None of us noticed when she placed the dish on the heater vent, thinking she should keep her new-found friend warm.
The next morning Jessica came running from the den crying, “Mommy! Mommy! Look at Sally!” Sally Snail was dried up and cracked in a way that reminded me of my face with it is time to wash off a facial.
Jessica was heartbroken. I sat down to comfort her, stroking her hair and holding her tightly. In between her heavy sobs and body spasms, Jessica hugged me tightly and whispered, “Mommy, I love you.”
Suddenly, the rigors of motherhood did not hold a candle to this moment. This was what being a mother was all about. My focus and hope immediately returned.
I could almost hear Mordecai speaking softly in my ear: “You were chosen for such a time as this.”
