Are you favoured?

When we consider the story of Esther, we usually consider it a triumphant story, a story of a heroine, a story of triumph and freedom. Yet here, at the beginning of the book, we hear that Esther is an orphan, she’s been taken in by her cousin as a daughter (he’s clearly much older than her).  We also discover that Mordecai and Esther are Jews historically means that their family in generations past were once exiled to this place. Therefore they are not exactly welcomed or appreciated where they live, hence they are wary of telling others their true heritage.
Do you ever feel like that? Like an outsider? Like you don’t belong? A bit of an underdog? Maybe you are. Maybe your family heritage is questionable, perhaps your upbringing wasn’t conventional, or the opportunities presented to you are few. What we can learn from Esther is that it’s ok to have a bit of a disadvantage, because that doesn’t effect who you are or who you can be.

As we read further on into chapter 2, we see this strange competition to become the queen. Quite a strange affair we may think according to our society today, but not so strange in these times in Persia. Every beautiful young virgin is brought into the king’s living area, beautified and then presented to the king for one night only in order to impress him, they are then put into another area to live the rest of their days unless the king calls upon them again. I can’t even imagine what that would be like - No family or friends around, only the other discarded women of the king that didn’t impress him enough, having to live the whole of the rest of your life in this place. No chance of escape, marriage or family of your own, just living a life ‘on hold’ for the king in case he should want to see you again, but he probably won’t. It’s sad isn’t it, most of us probably see it as quite demoralising. Yet it is into this environment we find Esther entering. She, along with any others, are selected as potential wives for the king.
What a degrading position to be put into as a beautiful young woman, basically prepped and prepared to sleep with a man who most probably will never speak to you again, yet I doubt these women had any choice. It was a nation-wide selection process and these women had been chosen and were brought to live in the confines of the king’s harem.

Then we see Esther, having entered into this situation that seems desperate, immoral and lonely, gaining favour with the man in charge. There is something about Esther that stands out, that rises above those around her and something in her character that establishes her as a favoured one in the harem. How does she do that?
Well, we know from Chapter 2 that she was a Jew - a believer in God. Was it her dependence on God that enabled her to gain favour?
Esther was honoured and appreciated even in this debauched environment, and maybe that is exactly why she won favour because she was someone who had faith in God amongst a whole lot of immorality.

Are you honoured and favoured by those around you no matter the circumstances you are in? Are you one that’s noticed? Are you someone that stands out because of your character?