A clear message that has been passed across in the last couple of days is that it is possible to be odd and right. In some Bible instances, as we shall see again today, it took those who dared to be odd to save the people of God. Esther is another clear example of this. There are at least two odd steps we can point to in the life of this young lady. The first was when she entered the beauty pageant organised with the sole aim of getting a queen for king Ahasuerus. Mind you, Esther was an orphan picked up by Mordecai after she lost both parents. Also keep in mind that both she and her older cousin were slaves in a strange land. From natural consideration, her chances of being selected were remote indeed. But she went in for it, and succeeded.
In some Bible instances, as we shall see again today, it took those who dared to be odd to save the people of God.
The other odd step was when she had become queen. At this time, Haman had carried his evil plan beyond Mordecai; he tricked the king to sign a death warrant for all the Jews in the empire. The onus was on Esther to plead before the king on behalf of her people. The only hurdle was that approaching the king uninvited could attract a death penalty. When Esther chose to go it was an odd step indeed. But without that there would have been no survivors among the Jews. Esther received both the direction and the courage to do what she did through the prodding of her cousin. You cannot predict the impact of little encouragement you give to anyone in their quest to stand up for what is right, even if it is odd. All that some people need to make those difficult decisions is the encouraging push of a mentor.