The Trailblazing WomenSýnishorn

In the world we live in, women have not always been celebrated or even acknowledged. There are some parts of the world where women are still not acknowledged, but how awesome is it to serve a God that has acknowledged and shown grace to women for more than 2,000 years. Esther is one of two women that have books in the Bible. Her story shows the bravery and strength we have within us, and I want to share a story of a time I related to Esther and really had to trust God.

In college, I was in the minority but wasn’t treated like your average college student because I was in leadership, leading worship there all four years of college. When people ask me how my time there was, I always say “It was great, but I didn’t really have a true experience as a minority because I had something specific that they wanted.” For my first two years I never brought anything up regarding different views that I had from a lot of my peers because I felt it was none of my business; I felt if I wasn't struggling, being oppressed or disrespected, then I might as well stay quiet. The summer of my junior year, something very controversial happened in the world and I watched my school become divided, but my instinct was to mind my business. I spoke to some of my closest friends, who are black, and they shared ways they were fighting to make a true difference on campus, which inspired me enough to repost something on my instagram story thinking that would make a difference. The next day, I came across Esther’s story and it shook me to my core. The reality is, just because I’m on leadership and not personally impacted doesn’t mean that I won’t eventually be personally impacted or my children down the line won’t be impacted by this. I went to our campus pastor and talked with him about how we can make actual changes on campus and have other young black students walk onto this campus feeling accepted and respected. I chose not only to have the conversations, but to walk with my peers and stand up for other students that look like me. Not because I was being directly affected, but because a child of God was being affected and my heart should break for them just as much as it should break for anything affecting me personally.

The fact that Esther risked her life to save her people is such a beautiful story. My favorite scripture from this entire story is, “Go and gather together all the Jews of Susa and fast for me. Do not eat or drink for three days, night or day. My maids and I will do the same. And then, though it is against the law, I will go in to see the king. If I must die, I must die.” (Esther 4:16 NLT). Esther could have easily told them to fast and then run away, but instead she joined them. She felt that her people being safe was more important than her own life.

Esther's story taught me that we aren’t just called as women, as human beings, to just sit and talk or repost instagram stories about what is going on with others in the world. If we expect others to fast for the betterment of their people, we should be doing so as well. She also could’ve ignored the entire issue because she was right beside the king and truly, Haman wouldn’t have killed her in that moment. This showed me no matter your status or your circumstance, as a follower of God, your heart should break for others that don’t have the same status or circumstance as you. Just because it isn’t you right now, doesn’t mean that one day it won’t be you and I truly believe that was what Mordecai was telling Queen Esther. Fight for what is right, not only with your mouth but with your actions too.

Prayer-
Thank You, Father, for women like Queen Esther. I pray that I will walk with the same faith and compassion that she did. Allow me to see the bigger picture, look at life outside of myself and allow my heart to break for the hurting and the oppressed. Lord, please allow me to be aware of my surroundings, able to hear constructive criticism whenever I get into my own head. Show me ways that I can not only speak up for what’s right, but also way’s that I can actively help my brothers and sisters in the world. I don’t want to just watch my brothers and sisters fast and pray, I want to JOIN them in fasting and praying. I trust You, Jesus.
It’s in Your name I pray,
Amen.

-Tianna Horsey