• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

Dorina Lazo Gilmore-Young

Chasing God's glory down life's unexpected trails

  • About Dorina
  • Speaking
    • Events
  • Books
  • Podcast
  • Running
  • Culture + Travel
  • Blog
    • Freebies

Preparing For Your Esther Moment

Through the years, I’ve had this burning question in my heart: What does it mean to be a Christian woman? It’s easy to get caught up in the swirling stereotypes, the rhetoric about virtuous women and the arguments about that dreaded word “submission.” Something about this talk always pricks my spirit.

I try to redirect to God’s Word for answers. When I dig deep into the stories of the women in the Bible, I quickly discover they were all unique, broken, imperfect women who God chose for a drop-your-jaw surprising purpose – to bring people into the fold of His Kingdom.

One of my favorites is the beautiful and messy story of Esther. In just 10 chapters, the book of Esther gives us a sketch of a woman God chose to save His people in a tumultuous time. Of course, what I love about Esther is she was an unlikely candidate. She was young, inexperienced, an orphan, a foreigner. Not exactly qualities you would put on your resume for an application to be queen. Then again, Esther wasn’t applying to be queen. She was chosen. And that made all the difference.

God chose Esther. He chose to put her in an incredible place of influence “for such a time as this” (Esther 4:14). She was chosen for a job filling the shoes of a strong-willed former queen who got booted out of the kingdom for refusing to show off at her hubby’s soiree.

Esther had a God-given gift – beauty. But she had to be more than beautiful to get noticed. After all, she was surrounded by beautiful women. “And Esther won the favor of everyone who saw her” (Esther 2:10). This tells me she was a woman of character and charisma. People were drawn to her. She exercised humility and discernment, following closely the wisdom of the king’s official who was in charge of all the women in the “Queen Beauty Pageant.”

The king chooses Esther as the next queen. This is her invitation into a place of influence in the kingdom.

Fast forward to the moment of crisis when Esther leverages this influence to help her people, the Jews. The king’s sidekick, brings his anti-Semitic views into policy-making. He convinces the king the Jews are different. They don’t bow down to the king and his officials. And they shouldn’t be tolerated. Haman is given the power to write an order to “destroy, kill and annihilate all the Jews.”

Esther’s Jewish uncle begs her to intervene. Esther makes the choice to do something powerful at this point in the story. She pauses. She invites her people to pray. She prays. For three days. Esther prays before she takes any action. Then she moves forward in obedience with a plan to fight for her people.

She wisely invites the king and his sidekick to a party. She uses her knowledge of these men and what they love (hospitality and good parties) to bring them into a place where she can petition for her people. She speaks with humility and confidence. Her courage and influence saves the Jews.

The story of Esther teaches me that God wants courageous women who understand the power of discernment, prayer and obedience. He uses unlikely characters who don’t fit into a mold or stereotype. He doesn’t care if we are materially rich or poor or Democrat or Republican. He doesn’t care if we come from a good family or if we have attended church all our lives. He uses women who are willing to step out of their own comfortable place for the sake of others.

My own Esther moment came in January 2010. Not coincidentally, I was deep in a study of the book of Esther at the time. My husband and I had been peripherally involved in work in Haiti with a ministry started by his grandparents in 1947. We had been on several short-term trips but our hearts weren’t committed. We had our own jobs, our own comfortable community, our own life goals.

On January 12, 2010, a devastating earthquake rocked the already-impoverished country of Haiti. Our phones rang, our inboxes filled with friends and others looking to us for guidance on how to get involved with relief efforts. God shook our hearts with that earthquake too. For the first time, my husband and I felt God calling us to a deeper commitment to serving in Haiti “for such a time as this.”

We decided to jump in. Neither of us felt equipped. We didn’t feel ready. We weren’t even sure of the job description or project assignment before us. We knew God was calling us to work on behalf of His people in need.

Today, my husband is the director of a non-profit, working to offer a hand up to Haitians. When we initially moved to Haiti, I met a group of ladies in one of the churches who wanted to start a jewelry business. These women needed a means to buy food for their families, send their kids to school, even build houses. I just happened to have a love for creating and making jewelry.

God had already been growing in me a gift for teaching and a heart for discipleship. I said yes, and His wild story began to unfold. Today I am the director of The Haitian Bead Project working with 60 Haitian artisans. I spend part of my year working one-on-one with them and offering dignity to women who have never tasted it before. The other months I live in the U.S. working to share the story of God’s redemption.

I leave you with a few questions: How will you use your voice and influence to speak up on behalf of people today? How are you making yourself ready for an “Esther moment” in your life? I would venture to say that along the journey of asking yourself these questions you might find yourself on the road to becoming more wholly the woman God wants you to be.

Image Credit: Dorina Gilmore, The Haitian Bead Project

Share
Tweet
Share
Pin
0 Shares

May 5, 2014 Categories: GeneralTagged: compassion, inspirational

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Heather Fenton says

    July 6, 2014 at 10:08 pm

    It is a privilege to walk beside you as you use your voice and influence on behalf of others, Dorina! It is people like you and writing like this that remind me daily – because I seem to need the reminder daily – to consider my life a part of a story He has been writing all along for “such a time as this” I can’t yet imagine. Looking forward to reading more from you here!

    Reply
  2. joygraves says

    November 3, 2014 at 7:54 pm

    I ,feel God directed me too this page today ,I find my self in an Esther moment in my life. A friend of mine is relocating from
    texas, my space is small and I work out of my home… i didnt want her and her husband too go too a shelter. God put it on my heart too welcome them into my home until they can find a place… I try so hard to be aservant of God, as I was reading the purpose driven life I came across what it truly means to be a servant of God … it’s to go out of your comfort zone to help some one ,it should make us feel un easy . just like Esther she didnt pick her role God chose her.. Im say this because sometimes it get the bad end of the stick when helping someone, but today I feel this article and the chapter from the book , Purpose driven life was god ‘sway of letting me no im doing the right thing….thank you so much for this article and sharing your story…
    joy Graves……

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




Primary Sidebar

Meet Dorina

Aloha, friend! If you love stories, you are in the right place. I write about grief, glory, running, food, and more. I hope these words inspire you to chase after God’s glory in your life today!

Find me on Social Media

Categories

  • Book Reviews
  • Culture
  • Featured
  • General
  • Guest Blogger
  • Navigating Grief
  • Podcast
  • Recipes
  • Running

Recent Posts

  • Our Top 10 AAPI Chapter Books July 26, 2022
  • On butterfly wings: No Shame in Going Gently July 15, 2022
  • 5 myths and 1 important truth about grief July 6, 2022
  • When God meets us in ocean waves June 7, 2022
  • 10 picture books by AAPI authors you should add to your bookshelf May 28, 2022

Popular Posts

  • Celebrating a Heaveniversary: 10 ways to honor a loved one’s death
  • 10 meaningful sympathy gift ideas for widows and families
  • My refuge: Resting under the shadow of His wings
  • 10 creative ways to honor a loved one’s memory (and clean out the garage)

Tags

abundance behold brave christian blog christianity christmas community compassion cooking courage creativity culture death dorina lazo gilmore family life fear finishing well flourishing food stories friendship gifts Grief haiti hope identity Incourage essays inspirational kids laughter Main dish margin marriage parenting passion relationships rest self-care serve sharing faith social justice struggle transitions wonder world travel writing

Before Footer

From glorious summer produce to frozen treats, from spicy Korean wings to colorful charcuteries, these are a few of our fave 2022 summer eats! 🍉 ...

View

Aug 6

Open
From glorious summer produce to frozen treats, from spicy Korean wings to colorful charcuteries, these are a few of our fave 2022 summer eats! 🍉 
What is your fave food or dish to make/eat in the summer?! Share in the comments! #glorychasers #eatprayrun
45 13

Today we are walking through Psalm 95, a praise and thanksgiving psalm!

The people thank God for being the rock of their salvation, a great ...

View

Aug 5

Open
Today we are walking through Psalm 95, a praise and thanksgiving psalm! 
The people thank God for being the rock of their salvation, a great God and high King. My favorite image here is God as our Shepherd. He calls us the “people of his pasture, the sheep of his hand.” 🐑 He is a faithful shepherd who keeps His eye on us, provides food for us, and hears our cries even in the wilderness place. What a comfort!
I hope you will take a little time today to listen and read Psalm 95. Join me in thanksgiving and also heed this warning in v. 8-11 not to repeat the past! 
👉🏾How has God been faithful to you in the past? Let’s not forget who He is and what He has done in our lives!
#psalms #bible #bibleverse #biblestudy #devotional #shepherd #thelordismyshepherd
25 5

✍🏾 I wrote the final lines today. 😮‍💨 Breathing Through Grief, Coming in Fall 2023 from @inkandwillowgifts

View

Aug 5

Open
✍🏾 I wrote the final lines today. 😮‍💨 Breathing Through Grief, Coming in Fall 2023 from @inkandwillowgifts
121 30

🎙 In this episode, we interviewed Latasha Ferguson, who is a speaker, writer, podcaster (Overcome to Become Podcast), and ministry leader. Her ...

View

Aug 3

Open
🎙 In this episode, we interviewed Latasha Ferguson, who is a speaker, writer, podcaster (Overcome to Become Podcast), and ministry leader. Her heart beats for empowering women to do the hard work of heart work so they can get unstuck, overcome, own their story, and live authentically.
🏃🏾‍♀️ We chatted about how running helped her overcome adversity, modeling a healthy lifestyle for her four daughters, and how to get started if you’re a newbie.
Tune in to Eat Pray Run, Season 2, Episode 8 for more goodness from @latashamferguson anywhere you listen to podcasts! 🎧
28 9

📚 Who loves reading aloud?! My 10-year-old read a lot of books aloud to me this summer. ☀️ It was such a fun way to dive into the stories of ...

View

Aug 3

Open
📚 Who loves reading aloud?! My 10-year-old read a lot of books aloud to me this summer. ☀️ It was such a fun way to dive into the stories of characters from many cultures. Here’s our Summer Reading list with our top 10 chapter books featuring #AAPI characters and authors! 
👉🏾Check out our reviews on my blog at www.DorinaGilmore.com!
45 18
FOLLOW @DorinaGilmore

After Footer

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter

Copyright © 2022 • Dorina Lazo Gilmore-Young • Privacy Policy

Breathing Through Grief Resources
Name(Required)