Day 14: Unlikely Heroes

"If it pleases the king," she (Esther) said, "and if he regards me with favor and thinks it the right thing to do, and if he is pleased with me, let and order be written overruling the dispatches that Haman son of Hammedatha, the Agagite, devised and wrote to destroy the Jews in all the king's provinces.  For how can I bear to see disaster fall on my people?  How can I bear to see the destruction of my family?"  Esther 8:5-6

Main Character:  Esther
Scripture:  Esther 3:1-15, 5:1-7; 8:1-17
Symbol:  Ring

Have you ever had the chance to watch a caterpillar develop into a butterfly?  This was once of my favorite learning experiences from elementary school.  Each day I would race into the classroom to see this little fuzzy, ugly caterpillar as it formed a chrysalis and then emerged as a wrinkled blob only to turn into a beautiful monarch butterfly a few hours later.  How amazing that this unlikely and unassuming caterpillar would turn into such a beautiful creature! 

On the day all of our butterflies emerged, we had a big send off party where we released them out on the playground and watched them fly away.  I am sure there were a few tears shed over releasing our beautiful new creatures.  I can also remember Mrs. Edmonds reassuring us that our "brother and sister" butterflies would find each other again as they migrated down south once the snow came.  It was here way of reassuring us that everything would be okay.  Our little friends would have the strength to make it on their own.

Reading these passages from the book of Esther draws me back to this memory.  The text tells us that God gave Esther beauty that made her stand out from all the others.  She was an orphan living with her uncle Mordecai when the king himself selected her as a wife.  Imagine how he must have felt watching the little girl he loved leave to start a life of her own.

Not only was Esther beautiful, she was also smart and brave.  She took action when she heard of a plot to eliminate the Jews from the surrounding land.  More importantly, she relied upon her faith and the practices of prayer and fasting to help her make crucial decisions.

Esther is the only book in the bible where the name of God is not used.  Many critics have argued over the years that it should have been left out of the text altogether.  It is important to note that although His name is not uttered, we can see God working through each and every situation described.  He gave Esther her brains and beauty, He allowed her to be selected from the masses as queen, and He put Mordecai in the right place at the right time.  Let's use today to remember that God does reveal himself in quiet and unexpected ways.

Ponder Points:

• Have you ever witnessed God working in a quiet and unexpected way?  Discuss theses times as a family.  If not, think of some ways that you can try to be more observant of God working around you.
• Esther showed lots of bravery in this story.  Point out to your children a time you have seen their bravery come through.
• Ask your children for an example of a time they saw someone act bravely.
• A footnote in my bible reminds us that when God works in our world we have a few options.  We can plan, pray, and trust and obey or we can disobey, demand, and despair.  Which category do you find yourself in most of the time?
• What are some ways you can start to plan, pray, and trust and obey?