Beauty treatments

Some miles east of my home town, Ampthill, there is an establishment called Henlow Grange. It's one of those places where you can go and really get pampered. Even the thought of going there turns me cold but, for a lot of women, it's something akin to paradise!

As I described what's on offer to our congregation on Sunday morning, I'm sure that a number of our ladies went all doey-eyed and open-mouthed, whilst tilting their heads slightly towards their shoulders (O.K., preacher's exaggeration.....but not much!!).

How do you react to their website advert which promotes, 'a Laconium, herbal steam chamber, two fitness studios, a state of the art Rasul mud chamber and thalassotherapy pool.' And, to cap it all, we're enticed by the news that, 'You may also experience the legendary wax bath treatment, exclusive to Henlow for over 40 years. During the treatment, warm paraffin wax is smothered all over the body to exfoliate and condition the skin to reveal a silky smooth layer of skin!'

Sounds like some kind of refined medieval torture to me but, if it rocks your boat, you can give it a try and book in for a luxury day of pampering and relaxation......if you've got a spare £240 in your piggy bank, of course!

Just imagine what it would be like doing that for a year!! Well, that's what Esther - along with 126 other beauties - went through in preparation for her audience with King Xerxes. You can read about it in the Old Testament book of Esther. It was a kind of Miss Ancient Near East beauty contest, with the winner becoming Mrs Xerxes!

John Ortberg in his book, When The Game Is Over It All Goes Back In The Box, skilfully uses this story to warn us of the dangers of our shadow mission. He writes, 'Just as we all have a mission - a way of contributing to God's kingdom that we were designed and gifted for - we also have what might be called a shadow mission. My shadow mission is what I will do with my life if I drift on autopilot. It consists of the activities toward which I will gravitate if I allow my natural temptations and selfishness to take over. Everybody has a shadow mission.'

Esther's shadow mission was the lifestyle of the palace with all of its advantages, which must have been quite an exciting prospect for this young lady. But her mission was to be a part of God's plan to redeem the world, which meant risking her lifestyle...and her head...by brazenly importuning the king, inspired by the vision-casting words of her cousin, Mordecai: "Who knows but that you have come to royal position for such a time as this?"

What about you & me? Are we where we are simply through random circumstances? Or are we where God has led and placed us? And, as we enter 2008, are we fulfilling his mission....or our shadow mission?