Odd Duck, Book of Esther

Have you ever been called odd? Abnormal, maybe? Do you ever wonder why you seem to walk a bit out of step from the rest of the world? Maybe you do some strange things and don't understand why?

I'm reading the book of Esther now. The main personalities in this book are: King Xerxes, Haman, Mordecai, and Esther. Haman, the highest ranking official, began to notice an oddity going on in the kingdom. The order was given that all who passed by should bow down and kneel before him in honor. The king decreed it. Haman deserved that honor, or so he thought anyway.

There was a man named Mordecai, who refused and it honked Haman off. He was so mad that he didn't want to just take Mordecai out, he wanted to annihilate the whole Jewish people. He did what any good, upstanding public official would do, he ran and whined to the king, "Haman then spoke with King Xerxes: "There is an odd set of people scattered through the provinces of your kingdom who don't fit in. Their customs and ways are different from those of everybody else. Worse, they disregard the king's laws. They're an affront; the king shouldn't put up with them. If it please the king, let orders be given that they be destroyed. I'll pay for it myself. I'll deposit 375 tons of silver in the royal bank to finance the operation." (Esther 3:8-9)

Haman was willing to put up his own money to take care of this problem. What an ego. Wow. Bulletins were posted everywhere giving the exact day that all the Jewish people would be killed. All meaning: men, women, and children.


And Mordecai was upset that he caused problems for his people while Haman and the King enjoyed a cup of java or whatever the royalty drank at that time:)


Are we the odd ducks in our society? If we don't feel that, what are we doing wrong? 1st Peter 2:11 shows us that we are aliens and strangers in this world. We don't quite fit in. We have a home waiting for us in Heaven. It's okay to be a little odd. It's good actually. Stand up for your beliefs. Share them with whoever will listen. Maybe they'll decide they want to be a little odd along with you:)




Love deep today.

• The world doesn't know how to truly love.

Be strong and courageous.

• We have an Omnipotent God on our side. We don't have to put our faith in our government.

Dream big.

• Go after your dreams knowing that God is funding them, making them happen when they do.

Be an odd duck.

• The world might laugh at you but in the end, when Jesus comes back to get us, we will be so glad we chose to walk the odd path.

Tomorrow I'll go on with this historical account of the book of Esther. So much good stuff in such a short book.

(All verses from The Message)