My God My Everything

Have you ever received a call for jury duty in the form of a jury summons? What was your response? A summons means that you have been called upon for a specific action. It is also described as being an order for someone to appear or come to a specific place. When Esther and the other girls in the haram were finished with their year of beauty treatments they would wait for their turn to meet the king. Afterwards each girl would return to another part of the harem and would not see the king again unless he summoned her by name. Unfortunately the Persian king’s intentions were purely selfish.…

There is a commercial on TV that shows a woman ordering food at a restaurant and after looking at the menu she says, “I’ll have one of everything – I’ve always wanted to say that.” She is then surrounded with several platters of food and all types of desserts. Other movies have shown elaborate shopping sprees where a woman can buy anything her heart desires regardless of the cost. After Esther and the other women in the harem had completed their year of beauty treatments they waited for their turn to have a night with the king. When their time came to go to the king’s palace, each woman was…

What a difference a year can make. The year 2020 showed us that there are many things we can live without and most importantly it taught us what really matters – relationships. Jobs, money, homes and health can come and go, but true relationships last forever. For some people it was a very tough year full of fear. For other people it was a year that opened doors to new opportunities that would not have otherwise been an option. Esther understood about how quickly life can change and the difference that a year could make because of that change. After being uprooted from her loving home with her uncle she…

With all this talk of beauty treatments and outward adornments I want to take a moment and talk about what is hidden within. It’s very common for us to have a hard exterior when we meet new people, begin new adventures or find ourselves in different circumstances than we are used to. But hidden within every believer is our true identity and that is…… Christ in us! In our story of Esther we read that her uncle Mordecai had instructed her not to reveal her nationality and family background. At the proper time it would be revealed and at that time it would have the desired effect. In the Bible…

When the king had issued his new proclamation and many young women were being brought to Susa, Esther was among them. She too was put in the royal palace in the care of Hegai, who had charge of the harem.  Hegai liked Esther, and she won his favor. He lost no time in beginning her beauty treatment of massage and special diet. He gave her the best place in the harem and assigned seven young women specially chosen from the royal palace to serve her. (Esther 2:8-9) Hegai had hundreds of women all vying for the King’s affection. It was like a modern day “Bachelor” contest. Can you just imagine the…

It’s that time of year when we are bombarded with advertisements for gym memberships and diet programs. These messages are meant to spark our motivation to change our appearances and live their version of a healthier lifestyle. We have a choice whether or not to participate. That was not the case with Esther. She was selected to be one of the women that would be brought into the kings harem and who would receive a year long beauty makeover. While that may seem intriguing on the surface the truth was that each young girl that was chosen would have one chance to impress the king and if she didn’t, she…

In the story of Esther, King Xerxes made several decisions in the heat of the moment which later, he showed signs of regretting. Most of his decisions were made after listening to personal attendants who only had their own best interests in mind. First it was the decision to banish Vashti for her refusal to be paraded around at his drunken banquet. The attendants suggested that she be removed and punished so that other women, their wives, would not follow suit and disobey them. Years later when King Xerxes’ fury had subsided, he remembered Vashti, meaning he longed for her. Then he again listened to a proposal from his personal…

The book of Esther begins with a Queen named Vashti. The bible describes her as beautiful and lovely to look at. All who gazed upon her would think that she had it all. Royalty, servants, wealth and looks. But we quickly learn that appearances are not always what they seem. Behind her outward beauty and worldly luxuries was a defiant heart that resulted in her being removed from her position as Queen and exiled. Believe it or not we can all relate with her story. As women we are constantly looking and comparing ourselves with others be it in the check out line at the grocery store, looking at magazine…

The first mention of Esther in the bible is by her Hebrew name Hadassah. The rest of her story is told using her Persian name Esther. We are told that she was raised by her cousin Mordecai because she had neither father nor mother and that she had a lovely figure and was beautiful. Mordecai had taken her as his own daughter when her father and mother had died. So much can be learned from that one verse about Esther’s identity. How tragic that must have been for a young girl to lose both her parents. She was orphaned but also taken in by her cousin and loved as if…