Saturday night marked the beginning of Purim. This holiday always makes me wonder why I find myself in an given place at any given moment.
If you don’t know the story of Purim, you can read it here. In fact, you are supposed to read the story on the holiday. It’s a mitzvah, or commandment.
As the story goes, Queen Esther found herself in the castle of King Ahasuerus, ruler of Persia, at just the right time to save the Jews. With that in mind, could it be that I am here in this particular place at this particular moment to do something spectacular as well? Or will I discover one day that God has led me through a sequence of events so I arrive at a specific place at a specific time so I can do something unique and special, such as fulfill my life’s purpose or create positive change in the world or in other people’s lives?
The story of Purim is about synchronicity and God’s hand working in people’s lives. For me, it provides hope and renew faith that synchronicity can occur in my own life and that I, too, will find God’s hand leading me to the right place at the right time.
However, we have to allow ourselves to see the signs, feel the signals, to sense what direction to take so that we can arrive in the intended place. Many of us ignore these signs or simply don’t see, hear, smell, taste, or feel them. We don’t use our five–or six–senses to help us get directions from God or from our soul.
Someone recently told me that I would get messages constantly if I only meditated every day. She said I didn’t even need to do this for long periods of time…just for 10 or 15 minutes each morning. Doing so would inform my whole day.
Anyone can do that–even me. The practice of meditating even for short periods opens up the senses and allows us to use them like a compass–like a spiritual GPS system. We can tap into our intuition. We can hear the Still Small Voice.
This week, try meditating every morning for a little while for the express purpose of getting messages about where you are supposed to be and what you are supposed to be doing. Allow your senses to guide you. Stop. Look. Listen. Feel. Maybe, like Esther, you’ll find yourself in the right place at the right time.
Like Esther, also be prepared to act courageously–to have a bit of chutzpah. Don’t let the moment pass you by.
(A version of this article first appeared on my blog, As the Spirit Moves Me.)
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