See Something More In Your Struggles

She was just an ordinary girl in an unfamiliar place. Her only figure of familiarity was her cousin, who had become her care-giver ever since her parents died. She grew up in a foreign land, far away from what was so sacred to her family. I wonder what she did everyday, what kind of life she lived. Who knows what kind of dreams she had for her future, what kind of fears she felt, what kind of hope she held onto. But everything changed the day that the king proclaimed an edict that reached every corner of his dominion.

So Esther was taken to the king's palace because she was one of the many young girls that the king sought. How do you suppose Esther reacted to such an interruption? She was already an orphan living in a foreign land among an unfamiliar culture. Now, whatever hopes and dreams she cherished were probably radically turned upside down.

Yet whenever we are down to nothing, God is always up to something. To Esther, it might have seemed an inconvenience, but to God, it was an opportunity. What we see as an interruption is, to God, a calling. He saw little Esther, and He knew He could use her outside of her comfort zone, outside of all familiarity, to accomplish His purposes.

That certainly doesn't mean that it was ever easy. After Esther was miraculously chosen to rule as the new queen, the beauty treatments were over. She faced matters of life or death. She encountered evil plots, villians, greed, pride, hatred, barriers, and fears. But in the midst of such a storm, she was not shaken. She stood up in the face of fear and obeyed God, risking her life, abandoning all reason, and she became an agent of God's salvation for His people. (For Esther's full story, read Esther 1-8.)

I do not think that it is very difficult for us to place ourselves in Esther's shoes. When I think about my struggles, I find that I can relate very easily to her fears. When I battled an eating disorder, I was dwelling in a strange and foreign place. All the the emotions of my heart and thoughts of my mind seemed so unfamiliar. When a struggle surrounds you, you don't find yourself in a comfortable place.

But what we see as inconvenience, God sees as an opportunity. He views our weakness and uncomfort as a plotting ground for His strength. His calling, however hard it may be, is for us to rise up. Though an eating disorder (or whatever struggle you face) leaves you in unfamiliar territory, the Lord is calling you to stand up. He is calling you, like He called Esther, to trust Him completely and obey Him wholeheartedly. And when you rise up at your high calling, He will use you to accomplish His grand purposes!

I never dreamed that God would use my eating disorder to accomplish His plans for me, but He did. Now, I am more in love with Him than ever before, and I am beginning to discover that He can use the story of my struggle to encourage other people. An uncomfortable and difficult battle has become a story of God's faithfulness.

When you look into the mirror and see the struggles, the pains, or the temptations in your life, see them though God's eyes. They are not inconveniences, punishments, life-ruiners, or plan-spoilers. No, they are opportunities for God to show off His strength, display His glory, and accomplish His marvelous plans through you! Rise up to the call, embrace the opportunity, and see your struggle as something so much more.