This morning's devotion struck a nerve with me, and I wanted to share with moms out there.

Whether you are at home every day, all day, or whether you are working and trying to find that balance, (I have done both, and both are hard) I hope this helps you today.  I hope you find inspiration in it.

I know your days are busy, your lists are long, but I hope you can set out every day to finish a few things fully.

In chapter 9 of Esther, we see what happens when the Jews get to defend themselves.  They kill 500 men.  When the king reports back to Esther how many were killed that day, he asked her if she had another request.  Really? Cause 500 men isn't enough? Apparently it wasn't enough to finish well, because Esther requested that the Jews be granted to defend themselves one more day.  And the next day 300 more were killed.  Esther finished fully.  She was put in her position for such a time as that (Esther 4:14).

Would you have been as bold as Esther? I know that I probably would have weakened in my mission.  If the king had asked me, I would have just said, "no, we're good with the 500".

The question is what missions in my life have weakened.  What are the purposes in life that God has led me to fight for?  What purposes has he led you to fight for?

My answers: my marriage, Cooper's heart for God, and a great home environment.

How are you faithfully following through and finishing fully those purposes?  What can you do better to finish fully this week, or today even?

We may never be called to stand before a king....but we'll be called to stand before THE KING.

We'll probably never be the kingpin in a tactical movement to save God's people....but we may well be the kingpin in a tactical movement to dispense God's word to the little ones He's blessed us with so that they might evener into salvation (2Tim 3:15).

We'll probably never be called upon to live in a palace...but we are called upon to turn the place we live into a "palace" for our dear family.

The list of our challenges to daily faithfulness is endless.  Seek God's heart, and in your present situation, whatever it may be, cultivate a devotion to duty, a strong definition of purpose, and look to the Lord for His help in the discipline of self (which is my biggest struggle).

*This post is a mix of my thoughts, and excerpts from a devotion study on the book of Esther, Becoming a Woman of Beauty and Strength, by Elizabeth George.*