Vashti... my Heroine!!

Ok. Everybody knows the story of Esther, right? I've known it since I was a kid, but I've never thought about Esther's predecessor much until the last couple of days. Vashti was queen before Esther. She got stripped of her royal title and banished from the kings presence as punishment for her refusal to appear before him so that he could show her off during a drunken party. I've never noticed before how her stand caused such great fear among the men. They were afraid her refusal would inspire other women to do the same.

Esther is often praised for her courageous act of approaching the king to intercede for her people, but no one mentions Vashti and the courage it must have taken for her to refuse the kings command in the way she did. She had to have known there could be severe consequences for her actions. Yet, she still stood against the king's lewd command. Her stance was a threat to the men. They were frightened by her assertion of control, fearing that she would remove control from them.

Vashti lost her royal title as a consequence for refusal to obey the king. I wonder if she felt alone, afraid, or even regretted her unpopular stance. It's not easy to live an inspiring, passionate life, unapologetic about your beliefs. Sometimes, owning your passion and going for your calling can be a lonely thing to do. So, hey Vashti, thanks for going for it!!!

So just for fun, here's a pic of my latest accessory! Another ear piercing! With my short hair, I'm havin' fun bedazzling my ears!