Esther

Just a few minutes ago, the last girl left and I came almost right to the computer. Ten weeks have literally flown by and tonight we finished the very last bit of our study on the book of Esther. It's really over.

Truly this has been my favorite study in a long time. There were five of us who met at my house every Monday night. I warned them on day 1 that I nearly always lose my group around week seven of a Beth Moore study. People get busy or they get behind or something throws them off track. I've rarely studied with a group that finished. Not this time. These girls stuck with it and they loved every minute of it. I believe God honored their commitment to His Word and blessed them each. The joy that emanated and the excitement that flowed seemed too much to have been humanly created. Amazing.

Beth Moore's study on Esther is not only a study of the book, but also a study of womanhood. The subtitle is "It's Tough Being A Woman". And it is. For all sorts of reasons. We followed Esther through some very difficult times and found that much of what she faced, we also face. Trying to be beautiful. A strained marriage. Making a difficult decision. Obedience. Fear. Stepping into a role we feel is too big for us. Hosting dinner parties. Mean people. Trying to help someone. Being alone. Celebrating deliverance. And on and on.

We learned some big theological words like 'chiastic construction' and 'peripity'. We shared some hard life stuff in prayer. We laughed. We cried. We were challenged and we were inspired. At the very end of the book, the last question asked what we would savor from the study. Here's what I wrote:

-getting to know Sally, Debbie, Candy and Nicole better. And watching them get in-depth Bible study the way I do. What joy!!

-chiastic construction, peripity, and reversal of destiny

-that I'm where I am for a reason. Always.

-that I am only responsible for obedience - not what happens afterwards. Not the outcome.

Those may not make sense to you, but they will if you study Esther. There is so much more to that little book than you could ever realize. I'm so thankful I had the opportunity to lead this study and I hope that if you ever get the chance, you'll do the work too. It's so worth it!