In my last post titled “Trusting God in the unexpected”, Reflections from the Book of Esther, I talked about how Esther’s life began just as it did each day at the Citadel in Susa. However, there was one day that may have started “normally”, but by the end of the day, Esther’s world had changed drastically. God, however, is not surprised by the events of our day. He knows how every person’s day begins and ends. He knew the events that were going to unfold in the early hours of Friday morning, when Camp Mystic and the surrounding area would be overrun by the overflowing Quadalupe River, with many fighting for their lives. On Thursday night, the children went to sleep after a day of fun and games, looking forward to the events of the next day.  But things turn very tragic in the early morning hours before the campers would wake up for the day.

Today, so many are wondering how this could have happened. Were there warnings provided to the camp personnel? Did the weather show any signs of dangerous flooding? Could this have been avoided?  I can not even imagine what anguish the parents who dropped their children off to spend a day at camp are experiencing.  Sometimes tragedy may come from outside sources, things we have no control over.  Even in those difficult moments, God’s sovereign rule is moving all things for His purpose. This too reminds me of the events that happened in Esther’s life and how she went from a young girl living with her cousin to being rushed away as a candidate to be the next queen of Persia. In the first chapter of Esther, it was the events that upset King Ahasuerus. He wanted to show off Vashti to the nobles and guests at his banquet, but she was not going to allow herself to be paraded. This is an excerpt from the journal:

“We see that on the seventh day, the king brings in Queen Vashti to display her beauty, but Queen Vashti rejects the king’s orders.  Looking back on how this week began, one would think it was a festive and joyous time at the palace.  The King had no reservations about requesting Vashti to show off her beauty.  The royal guest also appeared to anticipate her presence.  But for Vashti, what began with a celebration of great pomp would end with an unexpected turn of events.  Have you ever had your day start as usual, and because of another person’s decision, your life was significantly impacted by difficulty?  How did you respond?  How can you relate to Vashti’s plight?  What did you learn about yourself through this trial? And how did God use this situation to draw you closer to Him?”

Even when tragedy enters our lives due to someone else’s choices, God is still in control.  God will always use these events to bring about some sort of change.  He may want something to be exposed. He may want a principle or lesson to be learned so that we can become better people.  When we take our focus off our brokenness and really consider how we can grow, God can do great things and use another person’s tragedy for the good of others. It’s not always about the tragedy; sometimes, the worst tragedy can bring the greatest blessings. If you would like to be encouraged in your difficult season by journaling through the book of Esther, get your copy of Inspiring Hope: Reflections from the Book of Esther at http://www.inspiringlifebooks.shopify.com or Amazon.com/author/inspiringlifebooks. Be blessed.