You were born for this exact moment in time. (Esther 4:14, Becky’s No-nonsense Paraphrase)

Time of Opportunity

Throughout the Bible, the idea of a moment of opportunity at a particular time is important. “Heroes of the faith” like Jael, Rahab, Esther, Jonah, Joshua, and even Jesus acted for a specific purpose at a particular time of available opportunity. 

The New Testament uses the term Kairos. To most of us, Kairos is just another pretty Greek word for “time.” To the readers of the day, Kairos held significance. In Greek myth, Kairos was the god of opportunity. He sported wings on his feet and a queue on his forehead. Grasping the ponytail before he streaked past brought opportunity only available for a moment. 

Perfect Time

Biblical writers often used terms the general population would understand easily, then gave the terms greater meaning. In the Bible, Kairos is used many times to describe God’s perfect timing. A particular moment might change the course of history. 

 We see a common theme in the Bible: individuals used by God in great ways often harbored huge doubts and battled internal giants. Recently, “impostor syndrome” has become a bit of a buzzword—the feeling that we’re not good enough to do the thing we need or want to do—or feel we need to do. Depression’s inky fog seeps in to cloud the grand vision. Discouragement piles on and we begin to believe we can’t make a difference. 

We see a need. Feel a call. Hear a cry. And then the enormity overwhelms us. Who are we to help? Who are we to answer? Who are we to comfort? We wonder whether we are good enough, whether anyone will listen to us, whether what we have to say matters, and whether we’re even relevant.

Time to Serve

The story of Esther is so familiar, we sometimes forget how terrified she must have been. We can’t comprehend all the nuances of her story and her culture. Most of us, though, can easily identify with her response when faced with a request to do something about the problem.  “Are you crazy? I might die. I’m not brave. Sure, this is a travesty, and someone needs to do something, but you need someone else. I’m not your girl.” 

Mordecai didn’t let her off the hook. “Look, you’re in the right position to help. If you don’t stand up now, God will find someone else who’s willing, but things might not end well for you. Who knows? Maybe he placed you in this position at this exact time for this particular purpose.” While Esther’s story wasn’t written in Greek, the idea of Kairos—of being positioned in the right place at the right time for an incredible opportunity to serve God—is clear.

We all need someone like Mordecai in our lives to help us see the Kairos. To help us look beyond our insecurity, fear, and depression. To illuminate the vision of what God can do. And sometimes, to say, “Suck it up, buttercup. This is your time. Get over yourself and grab this opportunity, because if you don’t, God will use someone else.”

Our Time

God has a plan. When we follow him day by day, he’ll make sure we’re in the right place at the right time so he can use us in a moment of opportunity. Let’s pay a little more attention this week. Let’s look for moments of opportunity. Let’s commit to listening less to the discouraging voices in our heads and listening more to the words of Mordecai. Today is our time—our Kairos.

Meet Becky…