Unforgetable Calling

"For if you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance for the Jews will arise from another place, but you and your father’s family will perish. And who knows but that you have come to your royal position for such a time as this?” Esther 4:14

The voice is undeniable and the calling is personal like an old friend offering a gentle reminder that I am content to shove into the dark corners of my mind for another day. You see, I have worn Christianity as an emblem around my neck and on my head and in my heart, but I continually refuse to slide my clean feet into the same dirty, tethered sandals that my Jesus wore.
"Go..." the whisper comes, "Go..."
"Oh, but Lord, I just can't. Can we save it for another day?"
"Go..." He echoes. "What are you afraid of?"
"Am I afraid? Of what?"
With some honest introspection, I could only conclude with a bowed head, "Yes."
I am afraid to open my eyes and put on the hands and feet of Jesus.

It hurts.
It costs.

It requires action to ensue words.

I must ask questions of myself whose answers are hard to hear.
I must bear burdens that are not mine to bear.

The time has come. Procrastination no longer is an option. I must say "Yes, Lord, I will go today not only with my heart but also with my whole life."
His voice is kind and comforting. He is not upset by my lack of obedience. I am relieved and the weight of delayed surrender is gone. Deep breath.
This has been my journey over the last few years. My eyes are being opened to see and my ears to hear.

• I hear the cries of the 24,000 children under the age of 5 who die daily from starvation.
• I see the African family who needs a goat (just $75 of my money) to support and provide for themselves.
  
• I feel the pain of the Sudanese refugees torn by devastating civil war.
• I hear the cry of the Haitian wives calling for their husbands trapped under earthquake rubble.

Most of all, I know a God-man who died to give hope, a balm to heal the wounds. I must answer the call and not be afraid to wear the chains. I am a bond servant in my prayers, in my decisions, and in my actions. This is a burning coal upon my lips, and this blog is a gentle whisper for my sisters. Let this be a provocation to love and good works because we have been brought to the kingdom for such a time as this.

~Shena