WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO DO ABOUT YOUR ASSIGNMENT?

As I reflect on my time in education, one thing that has always intrigued me is the number of excuses students have for not completing their work. I have heard everything from not having enough time to not completely understanding the assignment. Recently, the more modern excuse of not having a good wifi connection has been offered more times than I care to count. 

When considering the excuses students offer for not completing their assignments, our first reaction may be to shake our heads or even laugh in disbelief, until…we consider that these are often the same excuses we offer when God gives us an assignment to complete.

“I would do it, but I just don’t have the time.”

“If I just knew what God had called me to do, I would do it.”

“I would complete the task, but I am not as anointed as________.”

“Am I sure this is what God has called me to do?”

Just as the excuses offered by my students do not negate the fact that they didn’t do what was required of them, our excuses don’t exempt us for doing what God has told us to do. If we spend more time giving excuses than working on the assignment, we are actually acting in disobedience.

Esther was in a similar situation as it related to her assignment. 

Favor provided her the opportunity to receive the best food and luxurious beauty treatments. She was chosen to reign as queen, but was convinced to hide her identity. 

She was faithful to the assignment given to her upon becoming queen. According to ‭‭Esther‬ ‭2:10‬, ‭Esther had not revealed her people or family, (who she was in the kingdom) because Mordecai had charged her not to reveal it.

Then the shift happens. 

When Haman plots the annihilation of the Jews, Mordecai retracts his initial set of instructions to Esther. 

He asks Esther a question that immediately jolts her into her purpose. 

“For if you remain completely silent at this time, relief and deliverance will arise for the Jews from another place, but you and your father’s house will perish. Yet who knows whether you have come to the kingdom for such a time as this?” ‭‭Esther‬ ‭4:14‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

She has to make a decision: will she complete the assignment or will see offer an excuse for not doing what she’s been called to do. 

Esther made a crucial decision which propelled her into her ultimate kingdom assignment. She moved directly into prayer and fasting so that she could get the strategy necessary for her next step.

Game on!

I have found myself in pivotal moments where I felt comfortable being hidden in the crowd. I grew accustomed to remaining silent during major life moments because I felt my silence would be instrumental in “keeping the peace.” I have reasoned with myself and convinced myself that others were more qualified, more gifted, more anointed than I, and could easily complete the assignment that God had called me to complete.

The words spoken by Mordecai prick my heart because it shifts the emphasis from my humanity to God’s sovereignty. How do I know that God hasn’t called me into this place, this position for “such a time as this?

Maybe you can relate to my confession. 

Your assignment may not seem as critical as the assignment Esther had been given, but your assignment, your gift, your God-given identity must be expressed in this hour.

What will it take for you to speak up?

Your assignment may challenge you 

Your assignment will cause you to choose

Your assignment will take you out of your comfort zone, but what are you going to do about it?

It is time for you to not just understand the assignment. It is time to complete the assignment!]

Sister, just say yes!

Prayer:

Father, I thank you for the assignment you have given me. I ask Your forgiveness for all of the times I offered excuses and the times I disobeyed you by allowing fear and the opinions of others to drown out your still, small voice. I acknowledge that I am not wise enough, not gifted enough, and I’m not smart enough to complete this assignment without Your divine assistance. Thank You, Lord Jesus, for granting me the privilege of coming boldly before you so that I could have favor in my time of need. I surrender my all to you and I ask that you use me in any way You choose. I trust You with my all. Today and always, You have my “yes!”

Amen