Esther is a very interesting book in the Old Testament. God’s name is never mentioned, but His fingerprints are all over it. Esther, a Jew, providentially becomes the Queen of Persia, the most powerful nation at that time. Her uncle, Mordecai, uncovers a conspiracy to destroy all the Jews. He gets word to Esther about this and challenges her with this information. He tells her not to think that because she has a comfortable position as Queen that she will escape the annihilation of the Jews. He goes on to say that perhaps that is the exact reason God has placed her there, “for such a time as this.”

Do you ever think that God put you in your current situation or your current location for a specific purpose? Whether your situation is good, bad, tough, messy, blissful, perfect, temporary, permanent, etc., God has a specific purpose for all of it. We have many seasons in our lives. In each season, our ministry will look different. For example, a college student’s ministry is going to look much different from the ministry of someone who is married and has children. So often we want our situations or our locations to be different. We can long for what other people have (or don’t have) and we become unsatisfied with where the Lord has us. On the flip side, we can love the situations or locations we are in, but be unaware of the opportunities to minister to others there.

You can change your thinking. What if you embraced the moment and the location the Lord has you in for this season? What if you saw these things as the Lord sees them? How would that change your view on this season of your life?

Athlete, embrace this season and keep your eyes open for ways to minister to others.

Prayer to consider today: Lord, thank You for where You have placed me. Thank You for the season of life I am in. Forgive me if I have complained or grumbled about this season. Open my eyes to see the ways in which I can only minister in this specific season and give me the courage and boldness to act on those opportunities. Help me to embrace this moment and the city You have me in right now.

Reflect: How can you minister in this season or location in a way that you wouldn’t be able to if your situation or location changed?

Challenge: Take the answers to the previous question and make action steps to start ministering in this time of your life. Also, read the book of Esther to see how the story unfolds!

Outreach Challenge: Check out some local ministries in your area and figure out how you can serve them.