A friend of mine shared with me the other day that with an aching heart she wasn't looking forward to the holidays. And I felt her heart in that moment because I've been there, I am there. Holidays have been more bitter than joyous for me. When we live in a broken world for some of us it means we live in broken families. Rather than passing the potatoes over thankful praises and joyful moments we have a bitter taste in our mouths.

Sorry to get you so down but hold on there IS GOOD NEWS! I'm just sharing where I'm at, where I know probably many of you have been. The GOOD NEWS is Christ holds true to His promises. He takes brokenness and reveals promises from the beginning of time that are meant to sustain you through even this. Take it from someone else's story.

"Perhaps you were born for such a time as this." Esther 4:14

In the book of Esther (girl power) Esther, a Jew, finds herself in the position of Queen because she was "the fairest in the land" so to say. One of the King's men becomes infuriated with the Jews and sets in motion a plot to kill them all. Esther's uncle sends word to her asking her as the Queen to go to the King and stop this. Esther feared, no one went before the King unless summoned, not even the Queen. Esther's Uncle knew the consequences, knew the fear, knew it's a hard place to be put. She may have been thankful to be at the table as Queen before, but not so thankful to be put in that position now. Then her Uncle threw some truth at her, "And who knows but that you have come to your royal position for such a time as this?" Esther gathers courage to go before the King and there sets in motion what would result in the Jews being saved from death. How thankful she was then!

Friends, perhaps you were born for such a time as this. You may not always see your position at the table as a thankful thing. Divorce, abuse, loss, anger, resentment, abandonment, and hurt may all be present at the Thanksgiving table. But those are your people and God perfectly placed you there. To show them love, to be a light, to grow from the situation, to ultimately glorify God in those relationships. Perhaps you were created for such a time to show thankfulness even in brokenness. Perhaps this table is your ministry. Perhaps you aren't there by accident.

Perhaps we need to be more thankful, because He is faithful to use us in such a time as this.