80% of the world’s evangelical Christians live in Asia, Africa, and Latin America. Over the last 50 years, God’s church has grown exponentially in these areas.

These regions have tremendous mission sending potential to help bring the gospel to unreached peoples, but they currently send only 20% of the world’s cross-cultural missionaries!

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Moving 2,000 miles across the country took its toll on our family. Starting over was hard for my husband and me, but even more so for our then-8-year-old son. Leaving behind a life he loved, with friends he cherished, and a school he thrived in, hurt. Rather than a smooth landing in our new town, that first year threatened to crash our boat onto the rocky shoreline.
Life is filled with challenges and unexpected twists. Learning to navigate hard things as a family is not as simple as following a paint-by-numbers kit. But we can glean truth from Scripture to help our family walk through the ups and downs that come our way.

Lessons from Esther and Mordecai&nbsp;

Here are four lessons from the book of Esther we can recall as we experience difficulties as a family.
1. We are not exempted from hard things, but God still cares for us.
Esther lost her parents at a young age and her older cousin, Mordecai, was thrust into raising a girl alone (2:7). To complicate the matter, they did not reside in their homeland, but lived as exiles in an unfamiliar place where Jews were unwelcome (2:6). But even in situations that overflowed with grief, loss, and opposition, God was with them.
Esther was not forgotten. God raised up Mordecai to rear her. Even though Mordecai probably felt like any parent&mdash;utterly unsure of what he was doing at times&mdash;he treated Esther as his own daughter. Both Esther and Mordecai were given one another despite the loss of loved ones&mdash;a tangible expression of God&rsquo;s care for them.
2. Seek the good of others even if no one else sees.
When Mordecai took on the responsibility of caring for Esther, he did not know a book of the Bible would be written as a result of his doing good. It was Mordecai&rsquo;s habit to do what was right even when it was hard. He fulfilled his duty to raise Esther. When Mordecai overheard a plot to kill the king, he reported it to Esther so the king&rsquo;s life would be spared (2:22). Initially he was not rewarded and there is no indication that he expected one.&nbsp;
Later, when Haman demanded that people bow to him like he was a god, Mordecai refused. This refusal to obey the command of a corrupt man in a position of authority was risky. It could have led to Mordecai&rsquo;s death, and the death of all the Jews (3:13, 5:14). Again, Mordecai did what was right, not to please others, but because it honored God.
Mordecai understood the consequences of what he was asking Esther to do by approaching the king (4:14). Death was a real possibility, but failing to use her position to try to save her people was wrong. Mordecai&rsquo;s example of seeking the good of others prepared Esther for this situation. Esther chose to use her position to help others, instead of trying to protect herself because Mordecai lived out his faith before her eyes.&nbsp;
We should do the same no matter the circumstances. When life is challenging, we are not exempted from helping others and doing what is right.
3. Sometimes following God is scary and we will not know the outcome.
Esther did not know how the king would react when she approached him. Rather than becoming paralyzed by fear, Esther pleaded for the Lord&rsquo;s intervention by fasting (4:15, 16). When Esther presented herself before the king, she had placed the outcome in God&rsquo;s hands. As a result,&nbsp; God opened the door wide to rescue the Jews through her bold faith (5:2).
When we obey Scripture and strive to be God&rsquo;s ambassadors, we can trust whatever happens next to the Lord. This does not mean life will always become easier, but it builds our trust in the Lord despite our circumstances. This deeper faith will sustain us in whatever we walk through as a family.
4. God blesses faithfulness.
Mordecai started as a despised man in a foreign land who raised a girl alone. But he ended up as second in command over a vast kingdom (10:3). God blessed Mordecai&rsquo;s devotion and faithfulness, and used him for good.
Esther watched the Lord turn her people&rsquo;s lives upside down. The Jews went from being outcasts in a strange country to defeating those who wanted to destroy them (9:20-22). As with Mordecai, God used Esther&rsquo;s faithfulness to bring good to many people.
While we are not guaranteed that everything will always turn out the way we hope, we can know that God does not miss a single act of faithfulness to him. When we trust God with our lives, he will work through us in ways we could not have imagined.

Over a year later, my son is settling into our new town. We are not at the same school where we started. His closest friendships were not where we expected, but God had laid the foundation for these friendships through something that brings my son great joy&mdash;soccer.
Landing at a school that did not stick was a part of God&rsquo;s plan for us. We learned how to seek the good of others even when things were not going well. Then we trusted the Lord to show us the next right step. We can see the Lord&rsquo;s goodness as we integrate into this new community, trusting he has a plan for our family in this place.
Whatever hard circumstances our families may be navigating today or in the days ahead, we can cling to the truth that God loves us, keep obeying his Word, and trust that following the Lord is always worth it.

Via Families

Navigating Hard Things: Lessons from Esther

Navigating Hard Things: Lessons from Esther

Jenny Marcelene

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