Encouraging characters

 

Esther 4

Esther makes a sudden entrance into the story that bears her name. The king had banished his queen, "never again" to enter his presence (Esther 1:19). That led to a search for her replacement. And Esther's name appears matter-of-factly in chapter 2. Hers is the only name given of all the women who endured the king's twelve-month beauty contest. Once she's selected as the next queen, her name takes a chapter off. But the story begins to brew. We learn of Haman's great desire to annihilate the Jewish people. Esther reappears in distress of the news and it's now we get a sense of something important. The new queen didn't know her place. No, she didn't have full access to the king. There were rules, after all. Just ask the replaced queen, if you can find her. Plus, tt had been a month since the king has summoned Esther. But we can't say Esther was a nobody. She's the queen. Still, it's almost like she doesn't sense what that could mean. In her mind, she's Esther. Sure, she won a contest, but that didn't change who she was. It's her older cousin, Mordecai, who sees what's possible. He gathers that her new place just might lead to the redemption of his people. So, he encourages Esther. Even pushes her to appreciate the circumstances. And the rest is Purim history. Without Esther, Haman dooms the people. But without Mordecai Esther probably never musters the courage to save them. It's easy to look at the main characters of our stories, the people who normally get the most attention. They're the ones who act bravely or speak up with conviction and determination. Thank God for those people. We need them. Most of those people, though, will tell you they have someone who encourages them. Most of us aren't the main characters. We aren't in the king's court, so to speak. But we all can be encouragers. God can show us the possibilities within other people they can't always see in themselves. Your encouragement, therefore, is no small thing. It has the potential to change the world for someone. Stay blessed...john