I’ve always thought of myself as something of a packing ninja. It isn’t rocket science; just plan carefully and you won’t forget anything . . . right? But through the years, in my endeavors to travel light I’ve forgotten a few very important things. Take this current trip for example.

The weather in New York City is cold, and from here we’re headed to Israel where temperatures this time of year can be everything from the low-40’s to mid-70’s. Just like home. So packing should be easy-peasy.

Of course, there’s always the dilemma about shoes. Yeah, I can survive the entire trip with just a pair of Nike trainers, but we have quite a few dressy dinner events. Plus there’s the company we will be traveling with. I know a few, but not all, of the ladies who are going. This Southern California girl likes faded jeans, boho dresses and funky boots—but I’m going to be with people for whom “casual” dress is a button-down shirt, khaki slacks and loafers. Think George and Laura Bush at the country club.

Still, I was pretty sure I’d nailed the packing thing without even having to sit on the suitcase to latch it shut. But then, just minutes before our plane took off for JFK, I was texting goodbye to the kids. And this came from Brittni.

I think you forgot something.

It wasn’t my headphones. It was that special bag. You know, the one filled with little pouches of the things a girl can’t do without. My essential bag, stocked with two weeks of contact lenses, vitamins, sunscreen, and—dear Lord—my makeup!

So there I am on the plane, googling same-day shipping rates. Whatever it costs, I need this bag shipped ASAP. Reclining my seat into the knees of the guy behind me, I breathe a sigh of relief. Grateful for a day or two before we fly out over the Atlantic, with no chance to replace my missing essentials.

I put my seat back in the upright position and reach for my Bible. Our Virtue study is going through Esther, so I turn the pages there and this is what I read.  “And let the king appoint . . . officers . . . in charge of the women. Let their cosmetics be given to them” (Esther 2:3). And all the ladies say Amen! If the house needs painting . . . paint it, right?

This was a long ramp-up for what I really want to say.

Esther was living inside the palace gates. We also live inside the gates where concerns about beauty and form and food occupy our attention and our affection. But really, why are we there in the first place?

God has us where we are, for such a time as this.

Not to make a good impression but to make a difference. Ladies, remember this. Esther was where she was for a reason.

“Don’t think for a moment that because you’re in the palace you will escape when all other Jews are killed. If you keep quiet at a time like this, deliverance and relief will arise from some other place, but you and your relatives will die” (Esther 4:12-14 NLT).

 There are thousands of ways for a soul to die. Knowing all the lives she could save, Esther faced the risk and went to the king. If I perish, I perish.

What if we truly believe that God has put us where we are—in that family, that neighborhood, that school, that cubicle at work—for such a time as this? To live our lives for others. What we do is important, even the small things, when we do it for others with His great love.

If only you could see the underside of your life, you would see God in it, even the tiniest details. Like running to Fed Ex on an errand for your absent-minded mother-in-law when you already have a zillion things to do. Or sitting in a hotel room at 5:00am writing a blog post about making a difference right where you are.

Seriously, if we could only see God in all the details, we would relax and smile at our future. Like Esther, we’re living inside the gate with God’s loving hand upon us. So let’s walk boldly in our calling. From the most minor details to the enormous, at times overwhelming situations. God has us right where we are, for such a time as this.