Women, like me

So I realize my last post was a little on the sad side so I thought I would lighten it up with some things I have been reading and pondering.

I seem to have been fascinated with Esther lately and I keep hearing about her everywhere, church services with special guests and even a high school girls' Bible study. So I thought I'd go back and read the book of Esther over again. While reading the book, I literally found myself going through my days thinking of her and what she would do in my situations and how she would look at things from a humbled servant's point-of-view.

When finishing Esther, I started reading 1 Samuel. I have never read the entire books of Samuel, I usually read about Hannah and stop. I told myself I was going to read the entire books because I haven't before and they are hubby's favorite (I wonder why, hehe). But after I read about Hannah, I HAD to stop and reread it. These two ladies paint a perfect picture of what any Christian should do, but truly a woman.

Both Esther and Hannah changed the entire fate of their families. In the broader scheme, they changed the entire fate of nations. Esther saved her own life and her cousin's, along with all the Jews. Hannah had a son to carry on the family name who later ... well, I haven't gotten that far yet, BUT I know Samuel lead up to the birth of Jesus somehow. =)

Esther fasted. Hannah worshipped. As simple as that. Esther fasted before seeing the king. Hannah rose early every morning to worship God in faith that she would one day have a child.

I don't have a family, per se, of my own. I have a husband and the future prospect of a family, which includes children. So why not begin to change the fate of my family now, which could in turn change the fate of a nation. I often find it difficult to remember that EVERYONE in the Bible were living, breathing flesh, just like me. Esther and Hannah were real women with real issues. They nurtured like me. They loved like me. They cried like me. They created beauty like me. They probably even crafted like me. =)

But two ordinary women did extraordinary things by simply fasting (for only three days to be exact) and worshipping God (in the morning). I just might never get through 1 Samuel because I am so enthralled by Hannah!