Esther 4

I’ve always been tall. I reached what turned out to be my adult height of 6’ by age 13, and all through middle and high school, I was encouraged to play sports. All the sports! At my height, everyone assumed I’d be an asset to any team; even my performance in regular gym classes wasn't a deterrent. (Trust me, it wasn’t pretty!) Many voices tried to influence me, but I only considered the voice of one particular coach. He cared about my abilities as a potential athlete and showed me how I - not just the team - could benefit from participating.

The early chapters of Esther show how a Jewish girl raised in exile gains favor in the king’s eyes. She eventually finds herself in a position to speak up for her people, but doing so could mean life or death for her and the Jewish community. The cousin who raised her, Mordecai, encourages her: “For if you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance for the Jews will arise from another place, but you and your father’s family will perish. And who knows but that you have come to your royal position for such a time as this?” (4:14). Esther follows his wise counsel, saving the Jewish exiles.

God has positioned each of us exactly where we are to make His kind of difference in the world. We’ll likely never face death as Esther and Mordecai did, but making God’s kind of difference involves facing our fears, taking risks, trying new things, or overcoming serious obstacles. Will we act?

I didn’t. Despite the encouragement from my Mordecai (a trusted coach), I decided against team sports. Unlike Esther, I let the fear of failure keep me from trying something new. I doubt I would have been a high school phenom, but I know I missed out on the camaraderie and character development that naturally result from participating in a sport. Other people have encouraged me to step out of my comfort zone to try something new: “I see in you a knack for teaching…. a hospitable heart... the ability to write Connect Devotionals.” All three of those conversations made me sweat, but not because of imminent danger. I said yes in each situation, and the result has been the transformation of my own heart, as well as pointing those around me back to Him. Knowing what I missed out on by not trying something new earlier in life, it’s now easier to recognize those moments. I’m much more likely to say yes, even if the idea gives me heart palpitations. 

Sometimes we’re positioned to see and encourage the potential in others, as that middle school coach did for me. If you’ve had a Mordecai in your life, you know how valuable that encouragement is.  Sometimes all it takes is a motivating word to fan into flame a desire that God has already placed in our hearts. Do you feel God asking you to try something new during this season of regathering? On the flip side, does someone in your life need you to be a Mordecai?