Esther 4:13-16 ~ 13-Then Mordecai commanded to answer Esther, Think not with thyself that thou shalt escape in the king's house, more than all the Jews. 14- For if thou altogether holdest thy peace at this time, then shall there enlargement and deliverance arise to the Jews from another place; but thou and thy father's house shall be destroyed: and who knoweth whether thou art come to the kingdom for such a time as this? 15- Then Esther bade them return Mordecai this answer, 16- Go, gather together all the Jews that are present in Shushan, and fast ye for me, and neither eat nor drink three days, night or day: I also and my maidens will fast likewise; and so will I go in unto the king, which is not according to the law: and if I perish, I perish.
HERO...Antoinette Tuff, a woman who wasn't even supposed to be where she was. Having just received devastating news herself, saved countless children and adults from near certain tragedy. How did she do this? it certainly wasn't out of her comforts, nor was it out of some belief that this life is all we have. It was out of her faith in a REAL God. It was out of her love for mankind and it was out of her adversity.
Antoinette, helped some of over 870 children and staff who attend and worked for the Ronald E. McNair Discovery Learning Academy in Decatur, GA. The Academy educates students from Pre-K to 5th grade. These are our babies. They depend upon Antoinette and people like Antoinette to care for them, to love them, to protect them, while they are away from their families throughout the day.
Out of her abundant BELIEF IN GOD, this woman faced down death, looking into the eyes of a man, not on his medication and unafraid to use a semi-arsenal of guns and weapons. Afterwards, Antoinette understood that IF it hadn't been for her pain, and IF it had not been for her FAITH, IF she had not been in that place at that particular time, then DEATH would have been certain, if not for herself, then for others.
Michael Brandon Hill, a man who also suffers from some form of mental illness, had been arrested in March for making threats to the Sheriff's office. Although he was on prescribed medication, he failed to take any that day. In this incident he showed up with over 500 rounds of ammunition and fired shots to let everyone know that he meant business. This was intensely serious and almost anything could happen.
"He had a look on him that he was willing to kill — matter of fact he said it. He said that he didn't have any reason to live and that he knew he was going to die today,"
In the video caption above, Antoinette said that her pastor's wife had taught a message "Push Past The Pain" which spoke to her that no matter what condition she was in, that life's adversities couldn't hold her down and keep her from the blessings of God. She additionally recounted that her Pastor had just begun a new series of teachings, that she was studying designed to encourage the members that life was not over and that through Christ they could do anything. As she said, "Thank God for the Word!"
There are some legitimate questions as to why we all go through what we go through at times. we don't have full knowledge and have to trust god at times that things will be allright. However, I have watched people present what is called the "problem of evil" for years. Some of them even going so far as to claim that if God was God he wouldn't allow certain pain and adversity in life. That HE would simply rescue us from all of our pains because he loves us. But look at this, a little lady, with no gun, in the face of a gunman, that had just received devastating news, husband left her after 33 years of marriage, tried to commit suicide herself due to that failed marriage just last year, has a multiply disabled son, and no telling what else is going on, steps UP, shows her love for God and man by living out her faith THROUGH adversity and all the pain that she has suffered.
All those folk complaining about God and telling HIM how comfortable their life should be...This woman puts YOU to shame. I think many of them are A BUNCH OF WHINING BABIES seeking to serve themselves.
The fact is that life is not only about US individually. We go through some things for and on behalf of others. From the depth of our experience and sometimes even pain, others are blessed, helped and encouraged. In other words, if one can make it through what one has experienced, then others have confidence that they can also make it through what they are going through.
It was Jesus who placed himself in the middle on the cross between the wrath of God and the destruction of man in order to redeem man. This woman not only placed herself between the gunman and the kids and fellow employees, but placed herself between the gunman and the police...She was in the way for a PURPOSE, which is one thing that many people cannot and do not understand. There is a PURPOSE to it all, and that purpose is not to introvertly fail or fall into obscurity. The purpose of God through ALL adversity is for those who would believe and trust in him to succeed.
Psalms 118:17 ~I shall not die, but live, and declare the works of the LORD.
Similar to Esther, who knows if THIS was why she went through what she went through in life? Her experiences could have been what were necessary to prepare her for THIS incident. To give her the necessary temperament to look at death and say, although I am afraid, I know a God who is above ALL people and all things. Her experiences could have been to give her the love for children to stand there pleading for the life of all instead of running, which she initially thought to do.
Antoinette Tuff, YOU are a TOUGH Sistah!!!! Thank God for you and may the LORD continue to bless you and may he restore unto you all that has been lost with some extra and abundant interest!
Blessed!
God is a faithful God! I thank God for Sister Antoinette Tuff. What a wonderful testimony of God's love. Abandoned by her husband, she was not too stuck on her own pain and problems to help another troubled soul.
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