Esther

Tonight was the last night of Beth Moores Esther "Its tough being a woman". Each week she had a different quote of what made it tough being a woman. She had women write their reason for why its tough being a woman. My discussion leader had us do the same thing at the start of the study back in June. My thought "It's tough being a woman when you want to nurture your children,but realize it must stop when they're adults".
Its tough being a strong-willed woman trying to be a submissive wife!
Beths first quote "Its tough being a woman in someone else's shadow" Alluding to Esthers role after Queen Vashti had been banished from the kingdom for refusing to go to the banquet where King Xerxes had commanded her to attend.
Beth brought out the point of God's providence. God wasnt mentioned anywhere in the book of Esther but his hand was all over the book! and events. I can look back at events in my life that I can see God watching over me, protecting me from myself, providing for me, changing the path I was on, re-routing my life. I would not have thought that God was there at the time, but I know now that He was.
Beth really emphasised tonight that women should not be in bondage to their husbands because of our insecurities-will he love me , will he be there for me always, and other worries women have. She wants us to give our insecurities to the Lord, to rely on the love Jesus has for us , remember He will never leave us or forsake us. We worry so much about our looks, but through life experiences we become more beautiful in His eyes.
Heres a quote from her lecture " We think that the older we get the less beautiful we will be, and that's how humanity views it. It's our obsession with youth and adolescence. Time diminishes beauty to man in the human realm, but in God's realm, where we will spend forever, time perfects beauty. Our thinking is backward, because we think that the longer we live here the more our beauty is diminished. We cannot believe how beautiful , in all o f those seasons, all those difficult times , all those stabs in the dark will be put together by God. Because beauty in God's realm is not a treatment. It's a destiny. That's what chapter ten of Esther is all about-everything was made beautiful in its time. When all is said and done, all that God said will be done." Beth has a way with words to encourage us as sisters in Christ. I encourage you to do this study if your given the opportunity.