The results are in!
You are Esther: the difference maker
Girl...you impress me.
You have been born for such a time as this (Esther 4:14). I think we hear those words sometimes and roll our eyes a little....like they've been on the cover of too many feel-good notebooks or mugs. But here's the thing:
Like Esther, you are the kind of woman who doesn't let fear get in the way of you stepping up and making a difference when it comes to injustice, discrimination, inequality...or really any kind of unjust act. You care too much about others to stand by and do nothing. And God knew out of all times in history, your influence needs to be used now.
Do you remember how Esther became queen in the first place? King Xerxes had a week-long party to mark the end of a six-month exhibition displaying the huge wealth of his empire and its royal splendors. On the last day of the festivities, the king requested Queen Vashti to come to the party with the purpose of showing everyone her beauty. But...likely displeased at being summoned merely to be ogled at by thousands of men, she declined (can you blame her?!). Drama ensued and Xerxes banished her.
Deciding to find a replacement for his now-disgraced queen, he decides to have a beauty contest upon which the most beautiful virgins in the kingdom were required to spend twelve months doing beauty treatments (can you imagine?) until the king would see them. Esther, doing only what was asked and nothing extravagantly more (unlike many others in the running), won the crown and became his wife and queen.
The thing is, she never disclosed she was a Jew. When her uncle caught wind of a plot to eradicate all the Jews and told Esther...she knew she had to take action. We know King Xerxes was a bit volatile when it came to women standing up for themselves and it was definitely not custom for the queen to come in his presence without being summoned. More than that though, any person who approaches the king in the inner chamber without being invited was typically sentenced to death. But she went anyway. And the king not only listened, but realized the changes he needed to make to protect his wife's people.
So girl, listen. Even if it seems no one is listening to you or no one is following you, your voice matters. You matter. Continue stepping out toward the truth you know you must share. Protect those you know you need to protect. Talk about issues that need discussing.