044 You Were Born for This

This week has been crazy... Pain erupting. America burning. Ive been pondering a phrase "For such a time as this," and how it applies to now.

It was said by Mordecai to Queen Esther. Her people were about to be exterminated and she could have sat quietly and comfortably protected by title and privilege. Mordecai challenged her, "What if you were born for a such a time as this? You can speak up and use your privilege to help your people... OR God will cause help to come from another source." (See the book of Esther in the Bible).

What about today? When things get hot and volatile and risky, do you hide behind your privilege and pretend you cannot see or hear... or do you go all in, knowing YOU WERE BORN FOR SUCH A TIME AS THIS!

A couple years ago we bought our dream home. It was ten years in the making. Then just six weeks after moving in, we experienced the Carr Fire. I drove my family out of the house with a couple of overnight bags as the U.S.Marshalls were coming up the road compelling people to evacuate. The Carr Fire went on to burn 229,000 acres and over 1,000 structures. Eight people (including five fire fighters) lost their lives.

What I observed was similar to what is happening now.

The crisis, pain, and loss forced people to make a decision. Some people we met had only been in the community for three days before the fire. But the crisis actually STRENGTHENED their resolve to say "THIS IS MY COMMUNITY... WE ARE ALL-IN."

Others made the belated decision to leave. They had already left the community in heart and the fire was simply the final external trigger that confirmed their decision.

Still others literally danced in the ashes of what used to be the living room of their home. They were ALL-IN.

Ten years prior God had led us from New Zealand to USA. We knew we were here for the rest of our lives and fully engaged in the community... BUT we had a privilege: citizens of another country. We could get out any time we wanted.

During the fire, we realized it was time to go ALL-IN. So we did. We started the process of becoming citizens of the United States of America.

Whats the point?

Today there's another fire and you get to choose what you will do.

Perhaps YOU were born for such a time as this. Perhaps THIS is your time to speak up, listen up, help out.

And if you don't... help will come from another source.

So what will you do?

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