No

The book of Esther is one of my favorites. Lately I've been studying Queen Vashti and all of her amazingness. We don't get to spend too much time with her, but the chapter she is with us makes a big impression. Vashti was a woman who knew what it meant to set a boundary and live with the consequences of doing so.

I need more Vashtis in my life . . . people who show me, by example, what it means to exemplify charm, grit, and manners. Yesterday I wrote her a letter. My plan was to blog it, but I find myself fearful of what someone might think. It's ironic, I know.
Here's a paragraph.

I wish the Old Testament shared more of your story. No matter how often I tell myself that boundaries are good and that pleasing isn’t always, I still find it hard when faced with dissent. And it’s more than that – it’s feeling like I am jeopardizing my job (present and future). It is feeling like I am not being a team player. I want to play on a team that honors who I am as a woman, not because of my body, but because of my contributions as a minister, friend, teacher, student. I want to walk into a room and feel like I changed something for the better, not the worse. I want to stand behind a pulpit in a sweater set. I want to have faith in my denomination.

That is all for now. Read her story in the first chapter of Esther. I love that she said, "No."
S

*photo courtesy of Grebo Guru