The book of Esther brings to light several outstanding characters. They include king Ahasuerus, Vashti, the Queen, Esther, who replaced Vashti, Haman the king’s righthand man and Mordecai. There is no short supply of notable lessons in the book. Two of these characters enrich our study on HOW TO FIND HAPPINESS.  Previously, we stated that real happiness comes when we deploy our resources to serve others. There was a sharp contrast between Mordecai and Haman in their dispositions. Incidentally, their endings were no less contrasted with each other.

“Lasting happiness is reserved for those who selflessly serve others.”

Mordecai was the one who foiled the plot by the king’s servants to kill him. He passed the information to the relevant quarters. Except that his noble deed was written in the Book of Records, there was no immediate reward or recognition. Haman, on the other hand, seemed to have gained notoriety in the kingdom and acceptance before the king through sycophancy. When the king later asked for his advice on how to bestow honour on someone, Haman thought there was no one else the king could honour but himself. He made a robust recommendation which stripped the king of all paraphernalia of kingship. It was a shock to him when he was asked to execute his recommendation on Mordecai. Self-serving Haman was disgraced and hanged on a pole while selfless Mordecai got promoted to the next in command after the king. Lasting happiness is reserved for those who selflessly serve others.