Doing What's Right (Even When It Costs You)

February 06, 2019

“After these things, when the anger of King Ahasuerus had abated, he remembered Vashti and what she had done and what had been decreed against her. Then the king’s young men who attended him said, “Let beautiful young virgins be sought out for the king…”, “And let the young woman who pleases the king be queen instead of Vashti.” - Esther 2:1-2,4

Have you ever thought about God’s providence? That you’re apart of a bigger story than just your own, and God is using your life for His will?

Most of us know about the story of Esther, the Jewish queen in the Persian Empire who courageously saved the Jews. However, not many of us give a lot of thought to Vashti, the queen she replaced. In Esther chapters 1 and 2, we learn that Vashti was dethroned because she refused to be publicly put on display as a sex symbol by her husband King Ahasuerus. As punishment for her insubordination and to be an example for how women should submit to their husbands in the kingdom, Vashti was removed from the story faster than she appeared. Vashti and Esther both showcased courage and stood for integrity, but only Esther’s story seemed to have a happy ending. Doesn’t seem fair, right? It’s moments like these when have to turn from our human perspective and see things with a heavenly lens.

While it cost her the crown, Vashti’s choice to do what was right was needed in God’s plan and served a purpose for His bigger story involving Esther and the salvation of the Jews. Without her courage to take a stand, the book of Esther might’ve looked a lot different. We sometimes won’t get the picture-perfect ending or positive recognition when we stand up for what we know is right, but we can know God can still use it in His perfect timing, even long after we’re gone.

• The woman who takes a stand at work but gets fired for her integrity.
• The girl who gets her heart broken by the guy because she won’t compromise her morals.
• The friend who is excluded from the group because she defended or stood in the gap for someone the others were gossiping about.

While in short (in our human viewpoint) it looks like we’re punished for choosing the right path, we can rest in the fact that God is faithfully using our good judgment for a bigger purpose. Even if we don’t end up seeing how it all plays out with our good with our own eyes, we can be assured that our acts of love and integrity and virtue are always in line with God’s will.  

Are we willing to be in Queen Vashti’s situation when the time comes to do what is right? Are we willing to be the domino which leads to God’s bigger plan coming to fruition, even if it means we have to sacrifice our comfort, position, or short-term plan?

Challenge: Let’s pray and ask God to give us the courage to choose the right path when the time comes, even when it costs us something great.

With love,

Jantzen

---

Also in Wheatful Woman Blog

Watching our words

September 20, 2023

God, please forgive me when I have used hurtful or unnecessary words to gain a sense of control. Help me trust you to guard every word that comes out of my mouth.

View full article →

Compassion Triumphs Pity

September 13, 2023

We can find biblical hope for this struggle when we consider the story of the Israelites’ exile in the Old Testament. The afflictions of the Israelites’ exile were two-fold. On one hand, they were exiled because of their own sin, and on the other hand, their burdens were increased because of the sin of the nations oppressing them. I am certain that if I were an exiled Israelite, I would have been grumbling and throwing pity parties the majority of the time. How does God respond to them? Throu...

View full article →

no room for comparison

September 06, 2023

As Christians, the biggest problem with unhealthy comparison is that it misplaces our passion for building the Kingdom of God onto building our own kingdoms of self. Comparison strips us of seeing what God has given us and called us to.

View full article →