"Go Big or Die!"

Esther 4:16

16"Go gather all the Jews who are present in Shushan, and fast for me; neither eat nor drink for three days, night or day. My maids and I will fast likewise. And so I will go to the king, which is against the law; and if I perish, I perish."

I know we've been in Esther recently but there are so many lessons here. After all, Queen Esther is my favorite woman of the Bible. Esther displayed so much courage and determination by God's grace that it is difficult to not focus on her story from multiple angles.  Esther fulfilled the true purpose for which God placed her in the royal court. She was used as a secret weapon to defeat an enemy. Esther displayed the ideology that is often needed in fulfilling purpose. She had the "go big or die" mentality. Most people know it as "go big or go home." But home was not the option. It's an easier choice to not fulfill purpose when the option is to just go home. But if there is nothing left but death, that's the game changer.  Esther had only two options. Her options were to convince the king that there was a plot to take out the Jews so he could stop the plan or die.  Either die at the hands of guards in the royal court or die at the hands of royal military carrying out the written edict which pronounced death for the Jews.

Now what if you had to die instead of not fulfilling your purpose? Would that make you want to pursue purpose with all you had? For me, this was the message I received eight years ago. Fulfill purpose or die. Some people don't understand why I'm so driven about the purposeful passions the Lord has placed in me. Well, had you walked a mile in my shoes from March 8-May 28, 2008 you would understand. A death sentence was pronounced over my life by man. I had never been hooked up to a continuous morphine pump before rattled with pain but terribly sick from overdosing. And then having reactions to medications that night and over the week that followed just so I could have the opportunity to live. God brought me through in hopes I would get the message that I needed to be like Esther and fulfill my purpose. It would mean going in the opposite direction of many I knew. For me, it was a hard lesson but one I will NEVER forget. So I pursue by God's grace and strength.

Even Joy Mangano, the billionaire inventor who's life story was featured in the movie, "JOY " over the Christmas holiday made sense. To her, there was no going back. She had the vision of  creating inventions to make life easier for herself and others as a kid. When her adult life was at a dead end, she went big. there was no going home. It was "go big or die!" If you have the, "go big or die," attitude, not fulfilling purpose is a death sentence. And this is not about chasing money. Money is not bad but if it's your only interest, the Lord didn't put you on earth to chase money.  He said in His Word that money takes wings and flies away. But He said your gifts will make room for you and put you before great men. He put you on earth with gifts He expects you to use. For Joy Mangano, it was the gift of inventions that people could use. That passion burned a hole in her from the time she was a child.  It's like it burns a hole in you if you can't do it or use it. When  you get that feeling, then you've found your purpose. "Go big or die!"