These days are to be remembered and kept by every single generation, every last family, every province and city. These days of Purim must never be neglected among the Jews; the memory of them must never die out among their descendants. Esther 9:28 (MSG)

Any one who follows these posts for very long will find that I'm a sucker for family history. I find so many lessons in knowing about the generations before me. I find strength in my great grandmother's faith. I find inspiration in my great grandfather's lone journey to carve out a new life for himself in America. I find perseverance and character in my grandparents, who lived through the Great Depression, making a good life for themselves and raising honorable families. There are so many lessons to be learned from what they experienced and the choices they made.

The feast of Purim, remembering what Esther did in saving her people, is still celebrated among the Jewish community to this day. The lesson survives to bless subsequent generations. It has been passed down.

How can I pass down to my children and grandchildren the story of God's hand at work   in our family?

Then Esther again spoke to the king, falling at his feet, begging with tears to counter the evil of Haman the Agagite and revoke the plan that he had plotted against the Jews. Esther 8:3 (MSG)

In my work, I am often placed in a position of relationship with company executives. They will sometimes lean on me for an honest appraisal of what his happening in their call centers, knowing that what they hear from their subordinates is often tainted by the natural desire to paint a rosy picture for the boss. It also affords me the opportunity to address real issues that are affecting both the customer and the front line Customer Service Representatives. From time to time, I am able to have a quiet conversation that prompts positive changes to company policy or procedure.

"How did you manage that?" I've been asked by front-line employees on different occasions, adding "We've been complaining about that for years and couldn't get anyone to listen!"

As I read this final chapter of Esther, I can't help but think back to Mordecai's words to Esther in the fourth chapter: "Maybe you were made queen for just such a time as this." Esther had been put into the perfect position to intercede on behalf of her people, and to influence the only person with the authority to rescind their death sentence.

Sometimes I can make a difference in someone's life by influencing the influencers God places in my path.

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Queen Esther answered, "If I have found favor in your eyes, O King, and if it please the king, give me my life, and give my people their lives. Esther 7:3 (MSG)

Over the years, I've stood at many bedsides with people who were fighting for their very lives. I have had the incredible experience of hearing people whisper their last words and have listened as they breathe their final breath on this earth. When the doctors proclaim that a person's condition is terminal, it has a generally sobering effect. People have an entirely different perspective as they stare down the home stretch at the finish line of life's race.

The King offered Esther anything she wanted, up to half his kingdom. The king, arrogantly secure in his health and position, could not imagine any greater gift he could offer other than money, land, wealth, and the power that came with it. What a different perspective Esther had as she pondered the death sentence and genocide she, and her people, faced.

I can learn from both Esther and King Xerxes. With Esther, I am reminded to consider my  own temporal and transient state in this life. As God promises "ask anything, and it will be done," I must do a heart-check to consider the motives behind my requests and desires. With King Xerxes, I'm reminded to consider the things that are in my power to give. I am certainly blessed and try to honor God by blessing others with material and financial gifts. I musn't forget, however, that intangible, life-giving gifts of love, gratitude, encouragement, kindness, gentleness, grace, time, and friendship are worth far more in the Kingdom economy, and they yield much greater returns on investment.

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"Go and do it," the king said to Haman. "Don't waste another minute. Take the robe and horse and do what you have proposed to Mordecai the Jew who sits at the King's Gate. Don't leave out a single detail of your plan." Esther 6:10 (MSG)

A year and a half ago, my parents celebrated their 50th Wedding Anniversary. It was a great weekend together with the whole family. My siblings and our families took the folks out to eat and spent Friday evening together. On Saturday, we took family pictures in the park and had a big open house at their church for family and friends to join in the celebration. As a gift, we sent the happy couple on a trip to Hawaii, a place they'd always wanted to visit.

Parenting is a life-long journey and, it often seems, there is precious little recognition in the task. This is especially true during the pre-teen to teen years when the reward for your time, energy, love, and provision is often disrespect, disobedience and dishonor. Nevertheless, those parents who honor their children generally find that, eventually, the children honor them. The reward may feel long in coming, but to see your children raised to honorable adulthood and to receive their love and gratitude has got to be a good feeling.

I wonder if Mordecai ever felt a bit cheated when he saved the King's life and received no recognition or reward. I like to think he did the right thing and never gave it a second thought. Either way, God clearly had a plan for Mordecai's reward. It was an outcome that script writers would scarcely dare to write for fear of being blamed for penning a "Hollywood ending" that no one would believe. Still, it's good to know that God has a plan to lift us up at the appropriate time.

Today's story reminded me of another verse from God's message: So be content with who you are, and don't put on airs. God's strong hand is on you; he'll promote you at the right time. Live carefree before God; he is most careful with you. I Peter 5:6-7 (MSG).

"Queen Esther invited me to a private dinner she gave for the king, just the three of us. And she's invited me to another one tomorrow. But I can't enjoy any of it when I see Mordecai the Jew sitting at the King's Gate." Esther 5:13 (MSG)

There are certain individuals who drive me absolutely crazy. I mean to tell you there are people I can't stand. In fact, I can look back and name off a list of people from childhood to the present day who got under my skin in one way or another. In some cases, like Haman's hatred of Mordecai, I found the object of my frustration disrespectful, insolent and insubordinate. In other cases, there have been individuals who were hurtful to me in some way. Sometimes the reason for my dislike is rooted in personality differences. In still other instances, I can't find a reason for my personal disdain other than a simple "I don't like him."

It is in these day-to-day, interpersonal conflicts that the teaching of Jesus is so critically important. "Love your enemies," "turn the other cheek," and "bless those who curse you," are among the most difficult of Jesus' directives to obey when faced with a person whom we feel so justified in our animosity. We can see, however, in the story of Haman, the tragic ends of unbridled hatred. I must confess that I look at Haman and see my own reflection.

Living out love, forgiveness and grace frees us from an invisible prison of the soul in which our spirit will, otherwise, surely whither into shadow.

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"Who knows? Maybe you were made queen for just such a time as this."  Esther 4:14 (MSG)

I've been thinking about Presidents this past week as our nation celebrates the presidential inauguration. There have been good presidents and poor presidents. Historians will tell you that Abraham Lincoln was absolutely the right person for the job at precisely the time our country needed him. The same is generally held for a handful of others. God's message to us is that He intercedes in raising rulers to power. So, I often look at the political landscape across the globe and wonder what God is up to.

It has been debated through the years whether the book of Esther should even be included in the Bible. Naysayers point out that God is never mentioned in the book. The name of God is never uttered. But, like the story itself, God is present and actively at work in the story, though the writer never penned his name. Mordecai nailed it when he suggests that, out of all the beautiful girls in Persia, Esther was chosen Queen so that she could save her people from death. She was the right person, in the right place, at the right time.

So, why am I here, God? Why do you have me at this exact place, at this exact time?