The Unlikely Leader

Yes. This is how it likely began.

Who knows, maybe there was an "I don't know if it will work...." or "I can't imagine how we could ever feed another mouth...." But at some point, there was a "Yes."

We don't know the circumstances surrounding Mordecai's agreeing to adopt Esther. We don't know if he already had a family or not. We have no idea how old Esther was when her parents passed away leaving her an orphan in this world. Maybe several relatives had already passed Esther over because they couldn't afford to feed and clothe one more person. Living in exile, resources may very well have been tight for Mordecai and to accept the responsibility of permanently caring and providing for a little girl might have been a daunting commitment.

Is it also possible that Mordecai saw the need but didn't see a way?

Has that ever happened to you? Have you ever sensed God leading you to act, to give, to believe, but in that moment you couldn't see how it, insert your circumstance, could possibly ever work..........like in a million years?

Maybe that's you right now even as you read these words. It's possible that you are reading this and right at this moment, God is dealing with your heart to take a step in a certain direction, but you are struggling because you don't think you have the means or the capacity to do so. Keep reading…

Back to Esther and fast forward 5, maybe 10 years.

Esther has become a young, beautiful- like stop the king in his tracks- beautiful woman. She, along with hundreds of young, beautiful virgins have been rounded up and hauled into the court of the king to replace the arrogant and defiant Queen Vashti who had just been ousted for refusing to obey the king's command. Enter Esther. This is the point in the story where we can begin to see the dividends of Mordecai's willingness to take Esther in.

In reading this story over the years, I've always seen, as many of us have, I'm sure, how Esther takes center stage as the heroine of this story. I mean, she's the one who risked her life to go before the king without having been summoned, the consequence for which was death had the king not appreciated the surprise visit. But, luckily for Esther, King Xerxes is head over heels smitten with her, so she is granted audience with the king, her life spared. As we all know, Esther reveals evil Haman's plot and saves her people from an imminent act of genocide.

When I read this story this time around, however, I saw it in a completely different light than in the past.

I realized that when Mordecai answered the need to care for this little orphan girl...

...He couldn't have possibly known that he would be raising the woman who would, someday, save his and millions of his countrymen’s lives. It was Esther that took that fearful step into the king's court that day, but had it not been for Mordecai's, "YES" all those years ago and every day since in raising her, Esther very likely would not have found herself in the position to be able to take that brave, bold step into God's divine plan for her life.

You see, it was likely Mordecai's influence that instilled identity into Esther. It was Mordecai who raised her to carry herself with such dignity and composure that enabled her to win the attention of both Hegai, the man in charge of preparing all the young virgins for the king, as well as the king himself. It was Mordecai's influence that taught Esther that she was a daughter of the King of Kings, even in the midst of living in exile and having to marry a foreign king. It was likely Mordecai's influence that taught her the value of honor and obedience so that she knew to obey Mordecai and not to disclose either her racial or familial ties to anyone in the royal court until the opportune moment. The fact that Esther was able to set aside a very real and warranted fear for her own life and approach the king without being summoned is likely a direct result of Mordecai 's leadership in her life.

Day after day, meal after meal, correction after correction, school lesson after school lesson, new pair of shoes after new pair of shoes… countless hugs, high fives, ‘atta-girls… Mordecai continuously stepped up to parent Esther. And it was those hundreds of thousands of seemingly meaningless moments that helped to position Esther so that when her Door of Destiny presented itself, she was able and willing to answer for herself, "Yes."

You see, it is very often those moments when the spotlight is not aimed at us that we have the greatest opportunity to affect change.

It is often those very times when obedience seems the least significant that our willingness to take the next step is exactly what God is waiting for. Does he NEED us, per say? Well, at the risk of inciting a theological debate in the comments, no. He once caused a donkey to speak to someone to get a job done. So does he NEED us??? No. However, IF we want to be used by HIM, then yes, He IS waiting for us to say, "Yes. I don't know how. I don't know why. I don't know all the in-between's, but yes. I will."

Mordecai didn't have to adopt Esther.

He could have easily said no and continued on with his life, never looking back. And without his influence, we don't know but that Esther would not have been the same young woman who was able to alter the course of history for a nation.

In the end, Mordecai was one of God's unlikely leaders, an unsung hero of sorts, but one whose YES altered the course of history. We, too, can continue with our lives and ignore that still small voice whispering to our hearts to make the change, help the neighbor, visit the friend, spend more time with the kids, give the money, forgive the one… to allow our life to be interrupted by the seemingly inconsequential. Or we can say YES. God is looking for the unlikely leaders of today.

What will YOUR answer be?

www.livinggateways.org

Living Gateways USA

17900 Christa Ln.

Boonville, MO 65233

livinggatewaysgt@gmail.com