“Go and get all the Jews living in Susa together. Fast for me. Don’t eat or drink for three days, either day or night. I and my maids will fast with you. If you will do this, I’ll go to the king, even though it’s forbidden. If I die, I die.” (Esther 4:16, MSB)
Hi there, lovely reader. I know we are 4 days into April already, but I’ll still wish you a “happy new month”. Welcome to the second quarter of 2023. It’s been a trying first quarter, but we made it through regardless. It calls for thanksgiving and celebration. I’m sure you are equally expectant of the bundles of blessings that lie in the coming months.
You have been with me for the first 3 months of the year, and you’ve been so supportive on the journey. I wish you an April that is loaded with the answers to your short and long-term requests, your heart being filled with gratitude, and your mouth with testimonies of God’s faithfulness. I celebrate you, thank you so much.
Once again, it’s story time! One beautiful stuff happened yesterday, and I caught a lesson from that moment which I’d like to share with you. Fastened your seat belt yet? Nice one, you’re ready to fly!
I was speaking with a friend, and she shared some exciting news with me. The gist is that she had applied for a much-desired position in an NGO. She was initially quite sceptical about applying because things seemed not to be in her favour at the time. First, she got a short notice as the application was due to close in a few hours. Then, there was a poor network issue which further delayed her application.
Eventually, the application pulled through although it was late. Next, she waited the course of days she had to before getting feedback. While waiting, she checked through the website just to see the presentations of co-applicants.
According to her, she was wowed by the sight that greeted her presence, and it seemed her presentation was not going to make it to the top. Nevertheless, she was happy to have at least made an effort to participate, and some quality lessons had stuck with her.
When there was no news from the organization on the said date, she concluded that she didn’t get the appointment. I mentioned that she had developed a positive mind from being happy to have participated, remember? Hey, her appointment came through a few days later, and she got the position! That’s great news, isn’t it?
I’ll link this to that of a well-known Bible Character. The renowned Queen Esther, our favoured fave queen of all time! Remember that wicked man that was set to wipe out a whole nation because of his deep-seated hatred towards one man that did not bow down to him at the King’s gate? Omo, the heart of man has been wicked from time immemorial, no be today! I mean, how will you seek to destroy a whole nation because one man did not greet you, how?
Well, the Lord’s beloved people found an intercessor in Esther, as she would be their representative before the King, who had unknown to him stamped that they were all going to die, somehow including his Queen. Now, the problem was how to approach the King as time seemed not to be in her favour.
The time was quite deadly, seeing as she could meet with her death should she approach the King without being invited by His Majesty. To cut the long story short, Her Royal Highness raised an altar of prayer and took the necessary steps, going to plead her cause and that of her people. You know the conclusion of the story, favour again found her, and lives were preserved.
Ready for the moral of the story? Right, I’ll share in a minute!
Sometimes, we find ourselves backing out of a challenge or going for an opportunity because the time seems unfavourable. Even when the time is right and on our side, we find reasons to make ourselves believe that we are not ready for the move.
More often, what cripples us is FEAR stemming from anything you can think of; failure, disappointment, feeling inadequate- the list is endless. We tend to be so laid back by our self-imposed bias. Fear is such a terrible weapon that hinders and shuts down every portal of possibilities. It has up till now stopped us, but not anymore!
Come closer, let me whisper something into your ears. I’ll make that a shout, kindly bear with me. “Fam, you were born ready!” Like Uncle Mordecai said to our fave Queen, “Who knows if perhaps you were made Queen for just such a time as this?” That’s the other statement I’m pushing to you.
Your preparations and training, your sleepless nights of practice, and your active engagements were all getting you ready for a time like this. Now that you have the chance, you are certainly not going to blow it off with self-sabotage. I know you won’t!
Get on your track. You have all that you need to win. It’s time to put your days, months, and years of preparations to use. Give yourself the chance to win or make it happen by signing up for the race. What does “signing up” mean to you? Define it, and go for it!
Esther gave herself and her people a chance to win this unseen battle by taking a step. She made an effort to approach the King. Remember this, she also made an effort to sign up for the competition before she was crowned Queen. Had she not approached the King, there would have been no chance to save lives.
Dear reader, you are much of a favoured being today as Esther was in those days. Give your favoured self a chance to be expressed. Be committed to the effort that favour will find and bless.
“If I die, I die” is a statement of absolute determination. It’s like saying “There’s no going back on this decision, the only way from here is forward”. In Esther’s case, the worst that could happen was death. Now, that’s the worst indeed! But in your case, death isn’t the worst. Why then are you not willing to give it a try? Make a firm decision to give your chance the best trial without getting discouraged or turning back.
Rather than seeing every possible reason for not winning, why not see every possible reason to win? Rather than “What if I don’t win”, don’t you think “What if I win” sounds better? Don’t let the fear of not winning hold you back from taking a step that could have made you win. REMEMBER, POSITIVE VIBES ONLY!
Now, let’s answer the “What if I don’t win?” question. If at all you did not win, you have actually won. Remember that “winning” is a general term, and you define it based on your context. If you didn’t get the opportunity you were hoping for, you have yet won a battle.
You have won the battle of the mind. There is no limit anymore to you making a move. You have taken a step forward by breaking the bias in your mind. So, you haven’t lost anything at all. You have given yourself a chance to improve, that in itself is a victory!
I’ll end the note with this great news; YOU ARE ALWAYS ON THE WINNING SIDE! Never again stop in your tracks. Keep moving, keep winning!
I hope you have been blessed by reading this. I had a good time writing it while also getting motivated, and I hope you do too. Kindly drop your comments as I’ll be happy to receive and read them. Thanks for always having my back. Till I write you another time, stay positive!
