For almost a month I studied the biblical character of Esther; both her life and the book where her story is found. One of the things that stands out the most to me is her strength. She is strong in character, strong in emotion, and strong in her courage and faith. We as young women can learn much from her life and example.
I am not going to tell you the story of Esther, I’m going to assume you already know most of her story already. If not, you can read her whole story in the Old Testament book of Esther.
Here are just a few things we can learn from Esther about becoming a woman of strength.
Becoming a Woman of Strength
1) A Woman of Strength has a Beautiful Heart
Esther was not only physically beautiful; she must have had a beautiful heart too. We see that she found favor with Hegai the keeper of the women. She was submissive to her cousin Mordecai. And all throughout her story her actions prove they had to come from a strong and beautiful heart. Physical beauty can only go so far. It’s likely that her beautiful heart made the biggest difference when it came to saving her people. A woman of strength must first have a beautiful heart.
2) A Woman of Strength Listens to and Follows Wise Counsel
Several times in her story we see Esther listening to and following advice. She listened to and obeyed Mordecai (2:20), and she took the advice of Hegai (2:15). She again listened to Mordecai when he told her that she must go before the king on behalf of her people (4:13-16). A woman of strength will seek wise counsel and follow it.
3) A Woman of Strength is Not Completely Overcome by Emotions
When Esther heard the king’s decree from Mordecai, she was exceedingly grieved (4:4) but that did not stop her from taking action. She sent clothing to Mordecai and proceeded to communicate with him until a decision was made about their next course of action. Even in the midst of her grief, she did not allow her emotions to completely overcome her thoughts or decisions. A woman of strength controls her emotions rather than being controlled by them.
4) A Woman of Strength Will Stand for Right No Matter What the Cost
When Esther made the decision to go before the king, she knew her life would be at stake. However, for the sake of her people she made her decision. She decided to risk her life for what was right. A woman of strength will stand for what is right no matter what the cost to her personally.
>>> You can read the second part of this post here!
I Would Love to Know
Which of the above traits are lacking in your life? For me personally, I don’t think I would have enough courage to do what Esther did. I am not sure I would have been able to overcome my own feelings of grief and fear.
Would You Like to Know More?
During my study of Esther, I used a few books to guide me (besides the Bible of course!). My favorite while doing this study was the book: Becoming a Woman of Beauty and Strength by Elizabeth George (affiliate link).
Also, be sure to check out my Books to Read page for more reading suggestions.
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For me it would be the last one….standing up for what is right no matter the cost. These are very challenging things to remember!
Yes, all of them are pretty challenging sometimes! Just wait for the next four 😉
This is a great topic! I love the book of Esther and the many lessons that it’s filled with! 🙂 For me it would definitely be standing for right no matter what the cost, too! I’m a quiet person, so I tend to keep my feelings bottled up inside a lot. I hope that if I had to stand up for God that I would… no matter what the cost. I know God has definitely given me strength to do it before, because I know it is definitely not like me!
Hey Sarah, thank you so much for commenting and sharing! I can be kind of quiet too (unless you know me really well!) so I can relate 🙂 I do think this may be the hardest one on this list!
Oh yes definitely the last one!! This is a great post! I think I’m going to study on Esther next in my devotions!!!
Studying Esther was a lot of fun… I would definitely encourage you to do a character study on her and the book of Esther 🙂 you will learn a lot I’m sure!
#3: A woman of strength is not completely overcome by her emotions. Needed to hear that! 🙂
By the way, I think it’s important to make a distinction here. Many of us do experience strong emotions and that in itself isn’t wrong; according to Scripture, even deep-felt anger and jealousy have their place (though godly anger and jealousy are NOT what we would naturally exhibit…) But falling apart or burning out emotionally leaves us vulnerable to lies and discouragement, so that we can’t serve the Lord as we should.
On the positive side, I think the God-given trait of strong emotions is intended to make those who possess it tender toward others, to help us empathize with them and encourage them. For example, someone who used to always wrestle with fear will easily understand where someone else, whose fears others quickly dismiss, is coming from. Controlled by the Holy Spirit, the trait (not its natural result!) can be a wonderful asset. But of course (and this was your point, Rebekah), we ourselves must first be strong in order to do that! 🙂
Great thoughts… thank you for sharing!!
I often have issues controlling my emotions. I’m very emotional.
Emotions can be hard… I think we as women struggle the most in this area. I am so thankful we have a Savior who understand our emotions and can help us work through them the right way! Thanks for sharing, Nikki. I hope this post was a blessing to you!
I would say #3 – not being overcome with emotion. I generally can keep them in check but when life gets so overwhelmingly busy it anything can send an emotional response over the edge. Often it takes a while to feel ‘right’ again and get my own control over my emotions without them controlling me. Stumbled across your blog via pinterest. ♥
Hi Susan,
Thanks for visiting and commenting! I think it’s easy for most of us to let our emotions rise a little out of control when things get overwhelming. It’s definitely something we can and should prepare for… I am thankful for Esther’s wonderful example!
I love this post and how you broke down Esther’s character traits. You make me want to study her even more!
Thank you, Katie! I hope this post will inspire you to study the life of Esther even more 🙂
i have issues most of the time saying no to bad things in order to please others. So i found this book so interesting and hopping for me and other girls like me to prove that any women can find strength and peace and power only in the hand of god.
I had a problem reading your lesson due to pop ups that would not go away ;(
Hi Susan, I’m sorry to hear that. I will try to fix the problem!