Planned With Purpose

And who knows whether you have not come to the kingdom for such a time as this?

- Esther 4:14

It is unlikely that we will ever be able to truly comprehend the impact that each of our individual lives will make on the world around us. It is not possible (to my great displeasure) to back-track and discover how we have influenced the people that we have met. On the flip side of this, that might just be a good thing. If we only knew how that negative attitude or off-the-cuff remark hurt that person that one time, or how when we failed to stand up for something that we truly believed in what impact that may have had on a situation or even the course of a life. On the other hand, we must remember that something as seemingly as small and insignificant as a smile can create a shift in someone’s day, and the words that we speak have the potential to make an even greater imprint on the destiny of others.

Queen Esther could never have predicted that she would be the person to save her people from genocide. Yet she recognised the dire situation that they were facing and found herself in a place where she could make a difference. She did not wait for someone else to step up to the plate, nor did she simply hope that the threat would go away, but rather she looked imminent death in the face and recognised her call. She turned to God and trusted that He would bring her favour and protection.

Each one of us has a reason as to why we were created - a reason why we are alive today. One of the most transformative and destiny-shaping thoughts that we can have is that the almighty God who created the mountains and the oceans and the galaxies, also decided that the world needed one of you. Think about it. God knew that the world needed you, and that it would not be the place that it is today without your existence. You were planned with purpose.

So what are you going to do with the knowledge of this reality? Are you going to use this one life that you have been given to have ground breaking influence in the lives of others, or allow the world to determine your worth? The decision is left entirely up to us – what a liberating and truly breath-taking thought.

We have been given the choice whether we follow God's plan and purposes for our lives, or alternately we can allow it to become concealed by the temptations that the world will inevitably put on our path. We were planned with purpose for such a time as this. What do you believe in? what are you passionate about? Pursue those things with every ounce of drive and energy that is inside of you and keep your eyes on Him.