Good Times In Spite Of Bad

“As the days wherein the Jews rested from their enemies, and the month which was turned unto them from sorrow to joy, and from mourning into a good day: that they should make them days of feasting and joy, and of sending portions one to another, and gifts to the poor.” (Es 9:22 AV)

The period of Esther is between the rebuilding of the temple and the rebuild of the walls of Jerusalem.  This was during the reign of the Medes and Persians.  Fun fact:  Esther is the only book in the entire word of God that never mentions God.  This period found the Jews still in captivity in the provinces of the Medes and Persians.  They were still under the control of a pagan king at it would be thirty years later that Artaxerxes allowed Nehemiah to return and rebuild the walls of Jerusalem.  The account of Esther is the account of God’s sovereign protection over Israel in very adverse conditions.  The celebration mentioned above was an annual holiday to commemorate the victory of the Jews over their heathen enemies who had the intent of exterminating the Jews.  Haman, a counselor to the king, manipulated the king to proclaim a decree that all the Jews be exterminated.  Upon learning of Haman’s deception and the lineage of his queen being Jewish, Ahasuerus passed another decree allowing the Jews to defend themselves.  This turned into a great victory for them.  Even though they would remain in captivity and under pagan control for four more centuries, this holiday was to be strictly observed.  A memorial that God is able to deliver!

My siblings and I grew up in a lower middle-income family.  There were times we were on food stamps.  There was a time when my father was out of work and had eight to eleven kids to feed.  We often survived on the charity of family and friends.  Our clothing wasn’t the best.  What we had was mostly hand-me-downs.  Tattered and repairs clothing was the norm.  Our sneakers (tennis shoes for those in certain parts of the country) had more duct tape on them then canvas.  Our bicycles were repurposed from a yard sale, a junkyard, a police auction, or someone’s trash.  We were not poor by any stretch of the Imagination.  But we were not comfortable either.  However, the traditions Mom had around the holiday times are the fondest of all my childhood memories.  Simple things come to mind.  The assembly-line Saturday helping my mom fill the ship sized freezer with Christmas cookies.  Stringing popcorn and cranberries.  The smells were amazing.  Eggs to order on Christmas morning.  Gathering around the manger on Christmas morning to appreciate what we were celebrating.  Going to church before one present was opened.  Watching the cartoon Christmas specials.  especially Charlie Brown’s Christmas that recited scripture.  Trudging through the forest in search of the ugliest white pine Christmas tree a family of eleven could find.  Watching my Mom eat the cranberry stuff right out of the can.  She was the only one who would touch it.  Her homemade stuffing (not dressing like other cultures.  Which is completely gross!) was out of this world.  Baking those cherry pies from cherries we picked was another memory.  Then there was Christmas eve.  My father taught music.  He taught us all to play an instrument.  We would gather in the ‘playroom’ and pull up a chair with a music stand.  We would go through the tradition of playing carols.  All these memories came at some of the most challenging times we shared as a family.  During those times, my mom had back surgery.  My father’s back went out.  A son was almost lost as an infant.  There was the rebellion in the hearts of their teenage children.  My father was out of work.  My mother worked a full-time job and still took care of the family.

The point is this.  We live in challenging times.  To say the least!  With riots, the virus, and turmoil being threatened at every turn, we are not living in ‘good times’.  We do not know what the future holds.  With overreaching governors affecting how the church fellowships and ministers, I am noticing the joy which saints should express is diminishing.  In times like these, it is important to hold on to practices and memories of God’s faithfulness.  We still need to put on church celebrations.  We still need to hold meetings together even though we might have to adjust to certain regulations.  If we lose our traditions, we lose our life.  This we cannot do.  So, we must find a way in which we can still celebrate the goodness and grace of God.  We cannot allow the persecution of the pagans to turn our joy into sadness.  Mordecai was extremely wise here.  He commanded the holiday of God’s mercy and victory be celebrated regardless of present circumstances.  If you and I are going through hardships, birthday celebrations must still go on.  If we are empty-nesters like my wife and I and the kids are too far away to visit, the Christmas tree still must go up.  If we are going through a hard time, happier times must still be recognized.  Lest we fall into hopelessness and apathy, life must go on no matter how difficult the circumstances.  It must.