Esther is easily one of my favorite books in the Bible: a young girl, pulled from the life she knew and thrown into the overwhelmingly intimidating and dangerous political setting of the palace, not only survives, but THRIVES, and saves a nation of people, to be forever immortalized in a book, a best seller no less. :)
Only recently have I learned exactly what the transition involved for our young heroin. A full year, before her night with the King, was spent preparing her for that very night, and a possible future as the nation's queen. This process involved "princess lessons", politics, and physical preparations, from makeup, to health, to even sexual training. That last one shocked me to no end, finding out that Hadassah, along with hundreds or thousands of other girls, were being trained up as the king's concubines.
But I digress...
What struck me was just how much training was involved. No detail was left untouched. Only the best would be presented to the king. Beauty treatments, which included myrrh and perfumes, were used to not only enhance her beauty, but clear up any skin conditions she had, and perfect her complexion. She was given "special foods" to eat, which were specifically designed for a healthy body, strong and fit. As future queen, she would be a symbol for not only her people, but for other nations as well, as a symbol of beauty and prosperity. She would need to be able to understand the political going-on's of her country, understand the issues the kingdom faced, both in and out of its borders, and be able to present herself, her husband the king, and anyone in authority with a positive light, to encourage allegiance to the king. She also needed to learn and be able to fulfill her duties within the royal household, from children, servants, and fellow wives and concubines. Her role was peacekeeper. As I said before, there was also sexual training, supervised by the eunuchs, so that she may be pleasing to the king when he called her to his bed. There was also music lessons, dancing, etiquette, and so much more. Every aspect of her future life was accounted for, as was her time.
Sleeping time was mandated; when, where, what to eat. Her activities were also dictated and supervised constantly.
An important part of her training was dealing with people. It tells us in the book of Esther that she won favor with the eunuch Hegai, who was in charge of the concubines and wives. She won him over so well she was given a set of handmaidens for herself, and her own separate quarters. This of course would have caused dissension with her fellow concubines, so she would have needed to learn how to placate their jealousy, and befriend them. It doesn't say if she had any friends aside from Hegai or Mordecai, but it is assumed that she did.
At the end of all this training for a full year, she was dolled up for her night with the king, her one chance to stand out before his decision was made as to a new queen. She had something in her arsenal that the eunuchs couldn't teach her, nor any of her instructors: she had wisdom. Each woman was allowed to take with her what she pleased, as either a tool of pleasure, or as a gift for the king, or even a comfort object. Instead of choosing something that she would have felt comfortable with, or desired for herself, she chose to humble herself before her master, Hegai, and seek his insight into the heart of the king, what Hegai thought would bring favor for her in the king's eyes. A good example of this can be seen in the movie "One Night with the King" (2006).
Realizing and learning all of this has helped me to realize that the book of Esther is not solely for remembering a great queen and a time of redemption for God's people, but for the training and instruction of further generations, especially Christian women (and men too!).
While the Catholics maybe take it too far, I believe their reverence for the power and majesty of God is appropriate. Like a mortal ruler, God is King, just and deserving of our reverence and allegiance. How many times do we take it lightly that he loves us?
Because she was going before the king, Hadassah took very seriously every detail of her training. Nothing could go wrong in her presentation for him. She wanted and needed to look her best, sound her best, and perform at her best, in all ways. This was important in not only winning the king's favor and heart, but also for her survival. When presented to the king, if his approval was not won, he could quite easily send her into ostracism, or even to the gallows.
Obviously, she survived. Not only her first night with him, but all of the proceeding nights, even when she wasn't invited on that fateful day in court. But beyond that, she also won his favor, even quite possibly his heart. When we come before the King of kings, we want to do more than just win his just approval to be welcomed into his kingdom someday, but also win his heart over. He loves each of us unconditionally, but how much more should that spur us on to giving Him our best? He is no mortal, fallible man, He is the creator and lover of the universe, of every man, woman, and child.
So for myself, this has put a burning in my heart, to be physically, mentally, and emotionally my best for Him, for his sake. To win favor in the eyes of those around me will bring favor to Him, as Hadassah did for her husband the king. And ultimately, like Hadassah, to save a people, my people, from the destruction that is coming for them by standing up and doing something about it with the power given to me by my King.
~Char
Tuesday, September 6, 2011
And so it begins
I'm sitting here, waiting for class in 29 minutes, with a friend whose name I do not know, and revisiting in my mind everything that's gone on of late. Needless to say, it's been an emotional rollercoaster, and due largely to this, I think a few people are more than a little confused as to what actually IS happening in my life. If any one actually cares.
To start, I must explain my apparent hermitism (is that even a word?). I'm not one to really open up my heart during emotionally stressing situations, and that apparently bugs some people. I'M NOT DOING IT TO HURT YOU. Eventually, I will get around to talking about it, or them, or him, or whatever the case may be, but sometimes, life gets ahead of me, and comes to a head before I can do anything about it. Like this whole boyfriend situation. Honestly, it took me by surprise as much as anyone else, I'm sure. Can you say "lost cause"? I certainly thought it was, so please, take that to heart and think about whether you'd be up for talking about an apparent fail. Which, happily, turned out NOT to be a fail. I let everyone know as soon as things changed, so don't think I've been holding onto this forever. I really have no reason to (all you HAers should know this better than anyone!).
I'm just going to be honest here for a minute, and ask if anyone really CARES about what goes on in another person's life? Why do you sit there and get angry with someone for not sharing, when all along, you've been shaking in your boots wondering how you'd be able to HANDLE something as big or complicated as your friend's life has been of late? I mean really, how many of you can fully understand what's happening to them, much less be able to BE there for them? If you can't handle it, can't be there for them when they need, then don't ask how they're doing, and DON'T get angry with them because they picked up on it before you did. Consider their heart over your pride, and I'm not talking just about me.
I'd also like to ask why you ASK for advice and then don't listen to it? It's like asking for food and then not eating it... There's really no point. What makes even less sense is getting angry when they give you their honest opinion or advice. I mean really? Don't get me wrong, there are times I get upset when someone just opens their mouth without thinking it through and spouting off some random crap, but that's not what I'm talking about. If someone takes the time to listen, think through what you've presented them, and then encouragingly attempts to articulate their thoughts for you (which takes a certain amount of vulnerability), the LEAST you could do is take it in stride an realize they have the best in mind for you! It's like when a kid takes forever coloring a picture for you, and then presents it, you don't freak out because it's not up to par with a Van Gogh, or a Picasso; you smile, thank them, maybe hug them, and hang it up on your fridge. Why can't you do that with your friend's advice?
And yes, this is a semi-rant, because I'm actually frustrated with this and want people to understand that this behavior is no longer being tolerated by the author of the blog, myself. There are so many things in life that go on, and must be dealt with, and these are a few things I don't have time or inclination to go over with people anymore.
So recap: if you can't handle the possible answer, don't ask. If you really don't care, don't ask. And if you do ask, be ready to take whatever the answer is. Capiche?
Now, be blessed, and have a wonderful day :)
~Char
To start, I must explain my apparent hermitism (is that even a word?). I'm not one to really open up my heart during emotionally stressing situations, and that apparently bugs some people. I'M NOT DOING IT TO HURT YOU. Eventually, I will get around to talking about it, or them, or him, or whatever the case may be, but sometimes, life gets ahead of me, and comes to a head before I can do anything about it. Like this whole boyfriend situation. Honestly, it took me by surprise as much as anyone else, I'm sure. Can you say "lost cause"? I certainly thought it was, so please, take that to heart and think about whether you'd be up for talking about an apparent fail. Which, happily, turned out NOT to be a fail. I let everyone know as soon as things changed, so don't think I've been holding onto this forever. I really have no reason to (all you HAers should know this better than anyone!).
I'm just going to be honest here for a minute, and ask if anyone really CARES about what goes on in another person's life? Why do you sit there and get angry with someone for not sharing, when all along, you've been shaking in your boots wondering how you'd be able to HANDLE something as big or complicated as your friend's life has been of late? I mean really, how many of you can fully understand what's happening to them, much less be able to BE there for them? If you can't handle it, can't be there for them when they need, then don't ask how they're doing, and DON'T get angry with them because they picked up on it before you did. Consider their heart over your pride, and I'm not talking just about me.
I'd also like to ask why you ASK for advice and then don't listen to it? It's like asking for food and then not eating it... There's really no point. What makes even less sense is getting angry when they give you their honest opinion or advice. I mean really? Don't get me wrong, there are times I get upset when someone just opens their mouth without thinking it through and spouting off some random crap, but that's not what I'm talking about. If someone takes the time to listen, think through what you've presented them, and then encouragingly attempts to articulate their thoughts for you (which takes a certain amount of vulnerability), the LEAST you could do is take it in stride an realize they have the best in mind for you! It's like when a kid takes forever coloring a picture for you, and then presents it, you don't freak out because it's not up to par with a Van Gogh, or a Picasso; you smile, thank them, maybe hug them, and hang it up on your fridge. Why can't you do that with your friend's advice?
And yes, this is a semi-rant, because I'm actually frustrated with this and want people to understand that this behavior is no longer being tolerated by the author of the blog, myself. There are so many things in life that go on, and must be dealt with, and these are a few things I don't have time or inclination to go over with people anymore.
So recap: if you can't handle the possible answer, don't ask. If you really don't care, don't ask. And if you do ask, be ready to take whatever the answer is. Capiche?
Now, be blessed, and have a wonderful day :)
~Char
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