Women of Treasure

     The story of Purim, the book of Ester is about faith, royalty, obedience, arrogance, revenge and love.  This is much like the drama movies and shows of today. Diving spiritually deeper, it is much like our lives.
     Hadassah was a Jewish orphan raised by her uncle Mordechai. She was beautiful and was one of many young virgins taken to the palace of the King in preparation to see who would take the place of the once queen Vashti who disobeyed the king, implementing her own feast.
     Haman, desiring power and complete subjugation, loathed Mordechai who would not bow to him.   Hadassah was prepared for one year to go before the king, her name was changed to Ester, and she found favor and became queen.  Events unfolding, she steadfastly entered into prayer and fasting, then humbly went before the king on behalf of the Jewish people.  She became Queen Ester, her people were saved, Haman was hung and Mordechai was elevated.
     Were we once Vashti? Refusing to come before the king to honor His feast? Were we ever likened to Haman, desiring power and our own rules? Are we orphans – longing for family? Are we Mordechai, refusing to bow to idols, power seekers, and fake gods, keeping the faith? Are we Ester, holding steadfast to the truth, listening to God, fervently entering into prayer and fasting? Are we like Ester, humbly going before the king?  
     God’s universe is a kingdom, with a King. There is a royal priesthood, there are decrees and ordinances in His Kingdom. We are under authority, living in His kingdom, called to be priests ourselves, called to be set-apart and holy as He is holy. We should come humbly before our God, asking for favor and mercy to serve Him and to live in His holy kingdom. If not, we are that character of Vashti and Haman.
     Exodus 19:6 ‘…and you shall be to Me a kingdom of priest and a holy nation. These are the words that you shall speak to the sons of Israel.’
     1 Peter 2:5 ‘…you also, as living stones are being built up as a spiritual house for a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to god through Yeshua HaMashiach.
     1 Peter 2:9 ‘But you are a Chosen race, a royal priesthood and a holy nation. A people for God’s own possession so that you may proclaim the excellences of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light.’     
     Revelation 1:6 ‘…and He has made us to be a kingdom priests to His God and Father, to Him be the glory and the dominion forever and ever. Amen.’
     Psalm 110:4 ‘The LORD has sworn and will not change His mind, ‘You are a priest forever according to the order of Melek Tzadik.’
     Isaiah 62:3 ‘You will also be a crown of beauty in the hand of the LORD and a royal diadem in the hand of your God.

   A Crown of Beauty…
       
 

Our lives are a journey of change. Absolutely nothing stays the same. From our physical appearance, our emotions, our ideals, our opinions, our families, to our lives in totality.
     Sometimes we might be swimming in chaos, rambling on and on wondering where our lives are heading. This is often a catalyst for change.  It might be a change of thought, people that we associate with, the way we handle our finances, even an opportunity to be ‘still’.
     There is an entity in our lives that never changes. There is a force that quotes Himself as being steadfast, never changing, strong, merciful and full of grace and love.  It is a rock, a place of refuge, a tower of light.  It is the buoy that we grab onto; it is the breath that we seek.
     Numbers 23:19 ‘God is not a man, that He should lie, nor a son of man, that He should repent.
Has He said, and will He not do? Or has He spoken, and will He not make it good?’
     Hebrews 13:8 ‘Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.’
     Malachi 3:6 ‘“For I am the Lord, I do not change.’
     Isaiah 4:8 ‘The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God will stand forever.’
     Psalm 102:25-27 ‘Of old you laid the foundation of the earth, and the heavens are the work of your hands. They will perish, but you will remain; they will all wear out like a garment. You will change them like a robe, and they will pass away, but you are the same, and your years have no end.’
     Psalm 33:11 ‘The counsel of the Lord stands forever, the plans of his heart to all generations.’
    When we feel the rush or swirl of confusion, when we begin to doubt our decisions, or actions, when we seem to have lost our way, that is the time to really cling to God and search His Ways. For His Ways are straight, and sure and strong. He will never forsake us, He does not change.

    Piles are all around us. Piles of laundry, piles of bills, piles of junk, piles of stuff, piles of clothes, of books, movies, dishes and just piles! Piles of things, items and products.  But what about the piles that occupy the spaces in our heads? What about the piles that overload our hearts?
     Our minds and hearts can get cluttered with piles, which in turn will process how we rate our life according to the type of piles; those feelings of regret, sadness, disappointments, and bitterness. If we have large piles of regret, we have a difficult time barreling through that pile to get to the other and more important pile of love or joy. Very rarely do we consider an abundance of joy or love or peace a pile, but we should. A pile is a pile, whether it is a pile of unpaid bills or a pile of love letters. It’s a pile.
      What if we sorted our piles, and cleared the murky waters. What if we would take our regrets and put them over to the left. And any disappointments or sadness and put them to the right. Then, what if we took the pile that The Lord so freely gives us and placed it next to those other piles? His pile would certainly dwarf all of ours.
     God is full and passes His fullness onto us:
     Exodus 34:6 ‘Yahweh! The Lord!  The God of compassion and mercy! I am slow to anger and filled with unfailing love and faithfulness.’
     Psalm 81:10 “For it was I, the Lord your God, who rescued you from the land of Egypt. Open your mouth wide, and I will fill it with good things.”
     Psalm 103:5 ‘He fills my life with good things.  My youth is renewed like the eagles!’
     Psalm 107:9 ‘For He satisfies the thirsty and fills the hungry with good things.’
     Psalm 119:64 ‘O Lord, Your unfailing love fills the earth, teach me Your decrees.’
     Psalm 119:64 equates His love with His decrees.  If we fill our lives, our minds, our hearts and souls with His will, His decrees, His commandments, our piles of junk will slowly begin to dissipate and will be replaced with piles of heaven.

     Blessings, Vickie

How are you?…a basic non-descript question. We ask it in passing; it is asked of us in passing. It consists of three powerful words, and the intent of the original question is powerful, yet somehow it has become rote and mundane.
     How are you? Fine, thanks. And you? Great.  
     So goes the conversation. But how are we?  How are we – really…
     How is our relationship with God? How is our walk? How is our prayer life? How is our shalom?
     A Jewish story:  A Rabbi came across a young man from his synagogue. How are you? Questioned the Rabbi. I’m fine, great, the young man answered. No, how are you? Repeated the Rabbi.  I’m great, my business is great, my wife is wonderful, and I’m doing great.  No, repeated the Rabbi,  How Are You?  How is your spiritual life?  Silence…  (Pirkei Avos).
     There are some simple questions that we can ask ourselves to see just ‘how we are’. Am I anxious? Am I worried, or in fear? Am I depressed or lonely? Am I arrogant? Am I pushy? Am I angry or mean? Am I in chaos? These are simple questions, not all the questions of course, but just the basics to test our relationship with God. These few emotions and symptoms of life are the antitheses of living a life with God, and not just a relationship with lip service, but as a way of life.
     One of the definitions of relationship is: The condition of being closely associated used especially of that which exists between people associated through blood, marriage or friendship.
     All three of those categories; blood, marriage and friendship are the bonds that describe God and His people. 
     We are of His blood, there is life in the blood, we are washed in the blood, the blood is the final sacrifice of the perfect lamb, and we are born by the blood.  Ephesians 1:7 ‘In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace.’
      We are to be His bride, He is our bride groom.  Revelation 19:7 ‘Let us rejoice and be glad and give him glory! For the wedding of the Lamb has come, and His bride has made herself ready.’
     And He is our friend.  John 15:14-15 ‘You are my friends if you do what I command you. I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you.’
     He is our parent, our husband and friend.  Isn’t that enough right there for us to desire a closer relationship with Him? Isn’t that enough right there for us to repent and teshuva, return to Him and His perfect Ways?
   So, how are we?
Blessings ~ Vickie
   

Panic and Anxiety…

     There is a difference between feeling anxious and a panic attack.  Anxiety is usually short lived, where people may feel fearful, apprehensive, may feel their heart racing or feel short of breath, and when the stressor goes away, so does the anxiety attack. A panic attack doesn’t necessarily have to come in reaction to a stressor and it can be unprovoked and unpredictable.

Panic:  Sudden and unreasonable fear, often spreading quickly.  Overwhelming anxiety or terror that inhibits normal sound judgment.
Anxiety: Apprehension, worry or fear over the anticipation of a threatening event whether real or imagined.
     We’ve all felt that throat clenching, heart stopping, paralyzing feeling when panic or anxiety dominates our emotions. We live in a high pressured world, not only do we deal with the stress that society puts on us, but we have our own inner stress as well—from our personal expectations, responsibilities, work, families, relationships, and our goals for happiness and success. Are we wrong to be anxious at times, or feel apprehension? No, it is an emotion, and obviously a strong emotion as God deems it necessary to give encouragement to battle it. He is clear that He fights the battles with us, and for us, but we are to remain steadfast and strong.
     In Deuteronomy 20 God is preparing the Israelites to enter into battle. He encourages them in regards to the strength they need as they enter into battle.  20:3 ‘Hear O Israel, today you are going into battle against your enemies, Do not be fainthearted or afraid; do not be terrified or give way to panic before them. For the LORD your God is the one who goes with you, to fight for you against your enemies to give you victory.’
     There will be many stress factors in our lives; spouses with illnesses, children with problems, bills, taxes, elderly parents; all the experiences of life. Our lives are fragmented between thousands of channels and millions of websites. We are lost in a sea of enter/delete. This modern affliction is nothing new to Jewish observers of the inner life. In the days when there were telegrams, there was a joke that went: “What does a Jewish telegram say?” The answer: “Start worrying. Letter follows.”
      It would be presumptuous of me to offer little empathy and instead just tell you to concentrate on a Scripture, or pray; and those remedies are true indeed.  But we have to get to that point in the midst of our anxiety that even allows us to pray, breathe, and read. The key will be our trigger points.
     What are the trigger points in our lives that cause us to become short of breath, to sweat, to sometimes even throw our hands in the air and quit? What drives us to that point? Once we recognize those points, we can teach ourselves to change.
     One of the great teachable moments in Mussar is equanimity. This is the point where we are neither phased by great praise; our ego; or falter due to great insult; again, our ego.  We have learned the calmness of the soul. We have overcome our pressure and praise point, where upon we simply 'be'.

Psalm 17:1-2 ‘The LORD is my light and salvation, whom shall I fear? The LORD is the stronghold of my life, of whom shall I be afraid?’

Psalm 46:10 ‘Be still and know that I am God…’

1 Peter 5:6-7 ‘Humble yourselves therefore under God’s mighty hand, that He may lift you up in due time. Cast all your fears on Him because He cares for you.’

John 14:26-27 ‘Peace I leave with you; My peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.’

     We serve a Great God, in Hebrew it is Gadol Elohei and He is the calmness of the soul.