For Such a Time as This: When Necessity Becomes a Calling

What if the challenge before you is not an interruption but an assignment?  What if God has prepared you for this moment, and someone is depending on you to rise to it? 

"Who knows but that you have come to your royal position for such a time as this."  Esther 4:14

Esther's story is one of the Bible's clearest pictures of performance necessity.  She did not merely want to do something meaningful; she faced a calling that made courageous action essential.  

Her people were threatened with destruction, and her position in the palace placed her near the one person who could intervene . . . the king.  

Yet access did not guarantee success.  Appearing before the king without being summoned could cost Esther her life.  She would need wisdom, preparation, courage, timing and a compelling appeal.  The moment required more than "good intentions."  It required her best! 

The Four Forces at Work in Esther

In High Performance Habits, author Brendon Burchard identifies four forces of necessity:  Identity, Obsession, Duty and Urgency.  Esther's circumstances brought all four into play. 

Identity

Esther was a young Jewish woman whose heritage had been concealed from the king.  Although she wore a crown, her deepest identity connected her to a covenant people.  When the crises came, she had to decide whether she would remain hidden or stand openly with them.  Her royal position did not erase who she was; it gave her identity a place from which to serve.  

Obsession

Esther's focused devotion to saving her people made the risk personal.  She could not treat their danger as someone else's problem.  After calling for a fast, she resolved to approach the king despite the danger:  "If I perish, I perish."  Her attention, emotion, and action aligned around one consuming purpose.  

Duty

Her social duty became her purpose.  Mordecai's challenge helped her see that privilege carried responsibility.  She had influence that others did not, and using it was no longer optional.  Someone had to speak, and Esther accepted that the assignment was hers. 

Urgency

The threat against the Jewish people was immediate and deadly.  Delay had consequences.  Esther needed to act with courage and discernment while there was still time to change the outcome.

When Identity, Obsession, Duty and Urgency converged, Esther's NECESSITY rose.  She prepared, approached the king, won his favor, and used her voice to plead for her people.  Through God's providence, her courageous performance helped save a nation from annihilation and preserved the Jewish people through whom the Messiah would come!

Your Actions Matter More Than You Know

We rarely see the full reach of our choices.  A prayer, a difficult conversation, a disciplined decision, or a faithful act may appear small, yet it can affect our lives, our families, and even our nation.  Esther could not have known every consequence of stepping forward.  She simply recognized the necessity of obedience and acted.

Her example shows what happens when great performance becomes a must instead of a preference.   NECESSITY concentrates our attention and our focus like nothing else.  It calls out courage, disciplines our preparation, and moves us beyond comfort toward contribution.  

Naturally, we all want to do a good job on the things that matter to us.  High performers, however, care deeply about excellence and intentionally invest greater effort.  One important practice is self-monitoring: pausing throughout the day to consider whether our behavior matches our values and performance goals.  

Awareness is the first step. Without it, inconsistency and randomness take over.  Self-discipline gives direction, and self-awareness fuels that discipline. 

Journal to Raise Necessity

Journaling is a simple way to practice self-monitoring.  When you write down what is beautiful, meaningful, or amazing, you capture it.  You drink from it.  You can return to it, remember it, notice more of it, and grow in gratitude.  You also become more aware of the standards you are living by and where you need to grow.  

At the end of each day, consider these questions in your journal:

• Did I perform with excellence today?
• Did I live up to my values and my expectation to give my best and do a good job?
• Where did I recognize God's direction or providence today?
• Who needed my "A game" today?
• What requires greater courage, discipline or urgency tomorrow?

These questions can reveal difficult truths to bear.  No one performs perfectly, but honest reflection is part of the growth.  If we do not monitor ourselves, we become less consistent.  Faithfulness is not random; it is practiced.  

Journaling helps us notice, remember, and respond.  It can spark NECESSITY by reconnecting our daily choices to our identity, our calling, the people we serve, and the time we have been given.

For Such a Time as This

High Performers often experience greater satisfaction because they believe their effort matters, their lives are moving in the right direction, and their contribution is making a difference.  For the believer, that sense of direction reaches beyond personal achievement.  We want to be on God's path, available to be used by Him. 

Like Esther, you may not see the full significance of your position, preparation, or next faithful step.  But God can use your identity, focused devotion, duty, and urgency to bless people far beyond what you can presently imagine.  

What if you have been prepared for such a time as this?

Raise NECESSITY, Monitor your heart and habits.  Give your best to what God has placed before you.  Your courageous obedience may produce change in your life, strengthen your family, serve your community, and influence generations to come. 

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With Great Necessity which makes great performance a must,

Karen Dougherty

Personal Growth Strategist and High Performance Life Coach