Painting a Biblical Role Model for our Daughters
When my girls were toddlers, it didn’t take them long until they were familiar with the timeless and famous Disney princesses. Belle, Jasmine, Ariel, and Elsa are a few of the most popular they can think of. My girls took to Ariel particularly. Being the only mermaid among the princesses brought to life through animation, her mermaid fins, her hair, her singing voice, and her underwater world fascinated them. It makes me cringe, however, to think my girls will idolize her. With just a closer look at her character, she is quite the last princess I would hail as a role model. The stark truth is that these fictitious princesses pale in comparison to the historical Queen Esther our daughters should really learn to emulate.
Unfortunately, it takes our daughters a little longer to become familiar with the women of the Bible. I think this is due in part to the fact that visual resources such as posters, children’s books, and movies aren’t as widely available or highly marketed to our daughters as the glamorized Disney princesses.
Visualizing Esther, a Woman of the Bible
When we read them the stories of the women of the Bible, our children are left to their own limited imagination to picture what they were like. One of my earliest childhood memories involving a woman of the Bible was through a Veggie Tale episode about Esther. She was cast as a caricature of a small green onion wigged with short brown hair. She dismally bore no resemblance to the actual human beauty Esther possessed. No wonder I remembered an enchanting mermaid princess far better than I did a bouncing royal green onion.
So I attempted to paint for my daughters a visual representation of Queen Esther. However, in doing so I also hope to paint for them a mental portrait of who Esther actually was: a heroic leader who embodied not only beauty, but also possessed unwavering faith in her God, courage, and stunning selflessness.
What We Can Learn About Queen Esther
Tucked away between the pages of the Old Testament, I believe that God penned an amazing story written especially for young girls. Esther’s story plays like a fairytale, and according to Bible scholars, has strong historical accuracy (Zondervan 341). There is much we can glean about her character in the Book of Esther that we can begin to teach and train in our daughters.
1. Esther is a Hero
First and foremost, she is a hero to her people. She was originally known as Hadassah, an orphan who was adopted by her cousin Mordecai who raised her as his own. They lived in the city of Susa, 200 miles east of Babylon, during the time of the Persian king, Ahasuerus or Xerxes I (Zondervan 340).
After the dethroning of Queen Vashti, Esther was chosen to take her place as queen. A man named Haman, who was appointed to the second highest position in the kingdom, plotted to annihilate all the Jews. Mordecai learned of the plot, and he urged her to go to the king to plead for the lives of her people. However, she knew it could cost her her life if she went to the king without being summoned. Mordecai urged her nonetheless declaring his most famous line:
And who knows but that you have come to royal position for such a time as this”
Esther 4:14
After fasting and praying for three days, Esther went to the king even at the risk of losing her life. Because of her bold gesture, she saved the lives of her people.
2. Esther is a Woman of Faith
Not only was she physically beautiful (Esther 2:7 describes Esther as “lovely in form and features”). She was also inwardly beautiful. She was kind and won the favor of many people (Esther 2:15). But most importantly, I attribute her inward beauty to her strong faith in God. Mordecai taught her the ways of their faith as he raised her as it clearly states in Esther 2:20 ”…[S]he continued to follow Mordecai’s instructions as she had done when he was bringing her up.” It was her training under Mordecai’s care that prepared her for the ultimate trial of her life, and it was her training that gave her the faith to overcome.
Esther led her people through a period of praying and fasting. She was a woman of prayer. She knew she can bring the matters of her heart to her God, even her deepest fears and uncertainties. The queen believed everything ultimately rests in God’s hands.
It was her training under Mordecai’s care that prepared her for her the ultimate trial of her life, and it was her training that gave her faith to overcome.
3. Esther is Courageous and Stunningly Selfless
Lastly, she was not only courageous but also stunningly selfless. Esther could’ve chosen to keep quiet or elude death by escaping. But the king did spare her life when she came unsummoned. And so captivated was the king by his love for Esther that he was willing to offer her up to half his kingdom (Esther 5:3). She could’ve asked for whatever she wanted. But this was not the beloved Esther that we have come to know.
She asked only for the salvation of her people.
She considered others better than herself. Without a thought to herself, she asked only for the salvation of her people. Her selflessness and heroism make her quite the role model I would want my daughters to mirror.
Training up Our Daughters for Such a Time as This
In light of this story, it makes me wonder what did Mordecai do to raise such a world-changer? What was his secret? What parenting style did he use? I believe the answer lies not within ourselves nor with the child development community. I believe the answer is found in God’s hands. It must be our prayer that we would train up our daughters for such a time as this. Perhaps he too encouraged her to emulate significant figures in her time and those who have gone before her.
As parents, we don’t know what trials may come our children’s way throughout their lives. But by God’s grace, we can start training and sowing seeds of faith, courage, beauty, and stunning selflessness in their lives today. I believe pointing them to powerful world-changers, such as Esther, and committing them to prayer can have a greater impact on their lives than we can ever imagine. It is a challenge, but He has not left us to ourselves. Scripture gives you and I this promise: “The one who calls you is faithful and he will do it” (1 Thessalonians 5:24)!
Reference
Zondervan Handbook to the Bible. Grand Rapids, Michigan, 1999.
