More than Unbroken

My favorite book of the Bible is Esther. Interestingly, the name of God is not mentioned in the entire book, but I love the bravery of the young Jewish girl who won the heart of the king. I guess it appeals to my girlish notions of the ultimate love story.  However, I want to explore further than just the surface of the story right now. At the very heart of Esther, the Queen and the Book, was obedience. She was orphaned early in life and adopted by her cousin Mordecai. When she was ordered, probably against her will, along with the other girls in the region to be presented to the king as a potential wife, she obeyed her cousin’s order not to reveal her true identity. She kept secret that she was Jewish.  She found favor in the king’s eunuch in charge of the beauty treatments required for the girls, and as a result, obeyed his instructions on selecting only what he suggested in order to win the king’s affection. It worked. Still, she honored Mordecai’s instructions and never re...

We went on vacation this week. It was one of those last minute decisions because we realized that it would pretty much be our only chance to go as a family. The guys love the mountains, so we loaded the car and headed to Gatlinburg.  As the boys have gotten older, it’s been less vigorous trying to keep them entertained while we are here. When they were small, we filled our days with non-stop activities moving quickly from one thing to the next. This time was different. We didn’t have to constantly keep going and moving to see everything, and they were eager to get some rest each night.  Our biggest problem on vacation was finding a spot to eat. Places are still reeling from COVID and have thankfully put measures in place to keep people safe.  And then we saw a tragic story. Missionaries to Haiti died in a plane crash while trying to join their families. Even more, these people weren’t escaping the unrest in the country. They were going back into it because of their heart ...

Since my writing journey began, I find myself journaling and taking notes constantly.  I have a notebook for personal thoughts, unfinished blogs that I don't feel are fully developed, and the notes app on my phone is full of ideas and phrases that I feel are or will be relevant.  In looking back over some of my personal notes in my journal, I found one that I titled "Struggle Day."  The next entry is "Struggle Day Becomes Struggle Week." We have bad days.  Some people have bad days when they don't get their coffee.  Joking aside, there are moments that we are tired physically, emotionally, and spiritually.  Maybe circumstances around us are not what we hoped.  Perhaps a horrific situation has thrust us into a raging battle. I believe that these moments are when God does His best work in us. In my journal entry, I wrote down "using what I know to push past what I feel."  The fact remains that your heart will break sometimes.  Your emotions, an...

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