Lesson 1: Defining Moments

Did you ever wish you could treat your life like text in a Word document? You simply highlight the moment and press the delete key. Poof! Gone—removed from your life forever. If it were only that simple, right? God disagrees with this concept because He chose you and me to experience the tragedy or the hardship or walk through the difficult situations in life for a reason. That is how He molds us into the people we are today.

There are also times in our lives when we think, “Wow God is so good to me. I didn’t deserve His blessing today.” I love those unexpected moments, both good and bad, which define us and help us grow in our relationship with Christ.

Often, we need to look at our past, to see into our future. Every moment from the past has brought you to where you are today. It doesn’t matter if the bad defining moments outweigh the good ones in your life. You are here at this current moment in time for a reason.

Queen Esther is the perfect example of someone who suddenly found herself in the midst of a difficult defining moment. Mordecai requested that she appear before King Xerxes to save the lives of the Jewish people. If Esther requested to see the king when he had not called for her, it put her in a life-threatening position. So, Esther had a challenging decision to make, risk her own life, or risk the lives of the Jewish people. Not exactly the situation any of us would want to be in, but I love Mordecai’s response to her.

Read Esther 4:13-14

After much prayer and preparation, Queen Esther appeared before King Xerxes, and the Jewish people were saved. How was she able to stand strong and confident in this situation? She understood that God would be with her when she approached King Xerxes. Plus, she knew that God loved her and was crazy about her.

Read Isaiah 62:4

In this passage of scripture, Isaiah is praying for the people of Jerusalem. Esther also knew these words to be true and understood God had chosen her for a great assignment. These words are also a message to us today. A message of God’s unending love for His people.

Regardless of your past or your current situation, “The Lord delights in you.” (Isaiah 62:4). God is absolutely crazy about you. He loves your smile, your abilities, your idiosyncrasies, and even your flaws, because when you wrap them all together—they make you. Wonderfully, uniquely made you. The person He created to accomplish great missions here on earth.

 Read Matthew 10:30-31

Read Psalm 56:8

God knows every hair on your head. He catches every one of your tears! How do these verses change your vision of God’s passion for you?

His love is so deep that all of your bad defining moments will one day be used for good. He has a great plan for your life, and that includes each experience you have had and will have, whether good or bad. Remember, no one else on this earth is exactly like you, and no one else on this earth is here to do what God created you to do.

When you reflect on the bad moments in your life, do you understand why God allowed you to go through these experiences?

Some say that bad defining moments should be swept away, hidden, and never be talked about again. But God will change those bad moments in your life into good one day. If you disagree, please don’t toss this study aside. Hang in there with me and you will understand where I’m coming from. I promise.

Do you agree or disagree that there are no bad defining moments in your life? Why?

Read John 8:1-11

The adulterous woman felt like an unworthy outcast. The Bible doesn’t tell us of her sorted past, but there were most likely moments in her life which caused her to become a promiscuous woman. This particular time, she didn’t hide her act of adultery in the dark of the night. She was caught and dragged out into the street in the middle of the day.

Many of us can relate to this woman. We have experienced the shame and humiliation she felt that day. Our sins may not be on public display, but they are very real within our own hearts, where we often hide our deepest pain.

Recall a bad defining moment in your life and how you felt about the situation. (You may or may not want to share this information in a group setting. That is okay, but please focus on the moment and see how God might transform it into good.)

Read Romans 3:21-24

How does this passage of scripture help you understand that God can turn the bad defining moments into good in your life?

As humans we categorize our sins, because of the consequences we face. In God’s eyes, sin is sin.  The good news is that God’s grace is available for everyone, regardless of sin. He doesn’t pick and choose who to forgive or what to forgive. He forgives ALL confessed sins. So, this horrible defining moment in your life is no greater sin than the sin of forgetting to pray or the sin of overindulgence.

Reflecting on the bad defining moment in your life which you looked at earlier, how can you apply this scripture and understand how and why God will one day turn that moment into good?

Before you answer, you may want to reread Romans 3:23-24.

Yes, the woman caught in adultery had a horrible defining moment in her life that she would rather forget. Being caught and dragged into the street is not a moment to remember with pride and joy. However, this horrible moment will ultimately lead her to the hand of grace. As we continue with this study, we will look more into grace, because grace is the heart of God. But first, we need to understand her shame and humiliation in the next lesson.

Your Challenge

As I stated earlier, there are both good and bad defining moments in your life. Focus on both before the next lesson. What defining moments, both good and bad, in your life have shaped you into the person you are today? Because “Who knows if perhaps you were made queen for just such a time as this?” (Esther 4:14).