It Takes One

                When I was in college, I had the pleasure of being friends with people from a wide variety of different religious backgrounds. Each of my friends knew I believed in the Bible and many of them would ask me questions about why I believed in God. No one I met was unfamiliar with Christianity, but each person had a different story of why they had rejected it. Some said the Bible did not make since while others said that they had met many unkind Christians, sill others had different reasons. I finally asked one of my friends why she would come to me with questions about God. This particular friend had many Christian acquaintances and family members who attended church, but she chose to open up to me with some very serious questions she had concerning faith in God after only a few months of knowing each other. She told me that of all of the people in her life, I was the only person who seemed sure of what I believed.

                This morning we read the story of Esther in the Old Testament. Esther was a Jew in a foreign land who humbly ended up becoming queen! Esther’s uncle named Mordecai was a righteous man who raised her and helped her become queen. When Mordecai would not bow down to a leader in the land (refusing to worship anyone other than God) this leader decided that he would kill all of the Jewish people. The king approved this man’s mission not knowing that his queen was a Jew. Esther then approached the king with her heritage and petitioned for her people. Esther’s words saved God’s people who would later bring us Jesus Christ.

                In this story, the Jews of that day are like the Christians today. I have no doubt that many Christians in doing what they believe is righteous in God’s eyes (like Mordecai did) have been perceived as rude and turned others

away from Christianity. What I think we often fail to focus on is that one woman’s words saved an entire people. I have often heard that one person can turn another away from Christ, but it also takes only one to turn them toward Christ. What kind of impression do I give others about Christ? How can I live as someone who gives my friends and family a positive view of who God is? What impression do I give my son about who God is? How can I live so that strangers gain a positive view of Christ? Can I overcome my fears as Esther did to be the one person to change someone’s mind about an entire group of people?

                God, please help me to live in a way that honors You and demonstrates who You are to the world. Help me to lead others to Your love and to Your Word. Amen.