Hello, friends! It’s Tuesday evening here, at the sick people house. Actually, today has been a good day, sickness-wise, and I’m hoping it has been for my hubby, too, because it’s date night for us! Yes, date night, in February. Those are two things that normally don’t go together.

Anyway, if you listened to my podcast last week, (and, if you didn’t, why didn’t you?) you might remember that I called last Friday “Inventory Day.” The episode was all about looking back over the month of January and judging myself on my “non-resolutions.” One of the things I mentioned that I really wanted to work on was my schedule – being more disciplined, wasting less time, etc. etc. etc.

Well, you know how it goes, right? There used to be a commercial on TV, in my younger years, for Toyota and the little jingle went something like,

“You asked for it? You got it! Toyota!”

Now, before you get all excited, thinking I got a new Toyota, I did not. What I actually got is going to be much more meaningful, I think.

A couple of weeks ago I started a new Bible study on the book of Esther. If you’re not familiar with the book of Esther, it’s in the Old Testament and about a Jewish girl who becomes queen over Persia, Media, I don’t know, a whole bunch of places. And, the girl’s name was, well, Esther.

Very quickly into Esther’s story, which is sort of a Biblical Cinderella story, you realize it was no coincidence that Esther became queen. And, you know, life’s usually like that.

The story is a great one, full of romance, mystery and intrigue, good guys and bad guys. You should really check it out, but basically once Esther became queen, the evil Haman, a descendant of the Amalakites, arch-enemies of the Israelites, unleashed a plot to murder all of the Jews in the area – WITH the unknowing king’s blessing!

Esther had hidden the fact that she was a Jew from everyone, including her new husband, the king, at the urging of her cousin, Mordecai, who raised her and was really more like a father to her. Mordecai found out about the edict to slaughter the Jews and sent word to Esther that she must go to the king and tell him about the plot, revealing her true identify.

Now, to you and I, that sounds simple enough. I mean, if I found out about a plot to destroy all of the short, freckle-faced women of French/English descent and I knew Robert had the power to stop it, I would bolt into his office, the bedroom, even the BATHROOM and tell him. You’d probably do the same. But, it wasn’t so easy for Esther.

See, there was this rule that any one who appeared before the king without him asking for them was doomed to DIE – unless the king held out his scepter, which meant all was OK. Oh, and at this time, the king hadn’t called for Esther in 30 days…I guess the palace was pretty big…

So, you see, Esther going to the king was taking a big chance, right? Now about here you may be thinking,

“Sherra, this is a great story, but what does it have to do with your last podcast episode?”

Well, I’m just getting to that. When Mordecai, Esther’s cousin/father told her about the edict and that she must go in to the king, she mentioned that whole “I-haven’t-been-summoned-to-the-king-in-30-days-are-you-trying-to-get-me-killed” issue, to which Mordecai replied, (this is Esther 4:14 from the New Living Translation)

“If you keep quiet at a time like this, deliverance and relief for the Jews will arise from some other place, but you and your relatives will die. Who knows if perhaps you were made queen for just such a time as this?”

Now, the whole “such a time as this” is the phrase that normally is connected with the story of Esther and it’s a great one – you know, this is your life purpose, etc. But the part that jumped out at me was the “If you keep quiet at a time like this….”

See, I’m a communicator, which, I guess, means I have a lot to say. Throughout any given day, numerous things come to my mind or heart that I need to say, or write. Sometimes they are really simple things, like, saying “Hi!” to the grocery checker or waitress at the restaurant, and sometimes they are really significant things like a conversation with a friend going through something hard or praying with a sick friend. And everything in between.

My writing and my podcast are just two easy ways for me to communicate the message that I want to get out there and you wouldn’t BELIEVE how easy it is to get distracted from doing them. I’ve been looking at it until today just as a scheduling problem, but when I don’t make time to write or record something, I’m basically CHOOSING to remain silent, regardless of who needed to hear my message.

But, it’s not just those things, either. Sometimes I’m too distracted or tired or upset or mad to give that smile or encouraging word to the friend, the checker the waitress. Sometimes my mind and spirit are so bogged down with who-knows-what that I miss those gentle nudges.

The thing is, if I don’t share my message or follow through on those little nudges, what’s going to happen? I mean, will my relatives die? Who knows?

Mental health is a subject that has taken center stage here lately, after losing several famous-type people to suicide – even one pastor I remember, in particular. Honestly, sometimes healing for these guys can begin with a simple smile and short conversation. Sometimes hurting people just need someone to say,

“Hey, I get it; I’ve been there myself.” Or,

“How can I pray for you or serve you today?” Or,

“Hey, can we go to coffee?”

People need encouragement, an arm to lean on. We may never know how many people’s days we make just by smiling, being kind and considerate.

Well, I’m not going to tell you what happens to Esther because I want you to go check it our yourself – it’s such a great story!

But, here’s my takeaway: I believe I have a message that women need to hear and I will NOT remain silent; I believe that I have family and friends who need to be loved, encouraged and spoken to with kindness and I will NOT remain silent; I believe a kind word and smile from me might make the day of someone who is really struggling through something difficult and I will NOT remain silent.

How about you?

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