"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

This verse has to be one of my favorites in the Bible. Why? Because the context of this biblical statement focuses on two choices that a young woman had to make: to be silent or to be strong. To fall back in fear, or to rise up in grace and boldness to the challenge that faced her; even if the result was death.

For those of you who may not be familiar with Esther, it is the biblical story of a young woman who was placed on the throne as Queen in the Persian Kingdom. Raised by her uncle as she had been orphaned, God used this young woman to stand up for a cause, and in this was created a ripple effect of leadership for generations to come.

To sum up a long, exciting story (seriously, you really should go read it if you have not), Esther is put in a position to make a choice: either use her position and voice to save an entire people from mass genocide and risk her own chance at death as a result, or to stay quiet, shrink back in fear, and attempt to live safely within the walls of her comfort zone. Esther was given a choice, to either sit back or to step up.

To stay silent and sit in her comfortable world, or to take a stand for what was right, regardless of what it may cost her. She was put in a position of influence and chose to step up to the task. Esther chooses to go before the King, and God used her to save an entire people.

What I love so much about this story is how influential it still is today. We have the power to be people of influence in every single circumstance we come across.

Women and men of all ages, we are ALL given the CHOICE to step up and embrace our circumstance with a boldness laden in grace or to shrink back in fear of opinion and what society says. We are living in a world that desperately needs the love and truth of Christ, are we living it fearlessly? God has placed you RIGHT where He wants you For Such a Time as This. You were not born to blend in, you were divinely created to stand out.

We are living in a culture currently that "encourages" individuality unless that individuality contradicts what is socially acceptable. It is as if there is this unspoken societal rule to be silent and submissive if what you have to give is something contrary to the majorities comfort zone. The world says to "be yourself" unless of course, you cause discomfort to the status quo and mundane expectation and popular way of life. Esther was no stranger to fear and had no background qualifications for the position of power that she was placed in. However, in the MIDST of what could have been oppressive, Esther CHOSE to use her God-given influence in the position she had been given.

Right now, God has placed you in a divine position due to his divine timing. You may not recognize it at the moment. Perhaps you feel like you are in a mundane season; you work, are in school, raising a family. You may feel like the season you are in is repetitive, and you are growing tired not only physically, but spiritually. These are the seasons in which we have a choice; to fall back or to press on. You see, whether you are working full time, unemployed, in school, or raising a family, every day you are given a CHOICE. You can choose to float through your day, get done what needs to get done, OR you can choose to be an influencer.

You can be a voice of positivity in an environment that can feel discouraging. You have the choice to be kind to those who are around you, you have the power to influence and cultivate an environment of joy even in the MIDST of the difficult period you are in. You are in circumstances in which you have a choice to influence those around you for the better, or to shrink back in the corner for the sake of your comfort zone. What are you choosing to make out of the season you are in?