Signora Sheila

That palace, it struck both fear and awe into the heart of the young woman who was passing near its gates. The opulence and grandeur of its halls were known throughout the land. Not that she would ever see inside, of course.

Nor did she wish to. For she’d heard tales of the evil, capricious king who marched his horses over the bodies of his dead enemies. And who had beaten the sea with chains to subdue it and make it behave. A terrible, terrifying man. And she was glad to keep her distance. 

But strange things were afoot in the realm. The king had sent his agents to the farthest corners to gather the most beautiful young women into the palace. He was searching for a new wife, to replace the one he had sent away.

But as she lifted her water jug higher, perhaps Esther felt certain that she had nothing to fear. “After all,” she surely thought, “there is nothing special about me. And I am one of God’s chosen people! God is faithful, and he will protect me.”

But as we know, Esther was taken captive. Dragged into the palace and into the hands of a man who was seemingly mad.

The story of Queen Esther is one of the most compelling and enthralling in the Bible. Young Hadassah, from an ordinary Jewish family, who became the queen that saved her people from one of their darkest hours.

Raising a little princess

There seems to be a trend among parents today to raise their daughters like little princesses. Perhaps in part because of all the princess movies and books out there. 

But is it wise to raise our our sons and our daughters to believe that they can (and should) live a fairy tale life like royalty?

• Is that what we, as Christian parents, should want for our children?
• Will it prepare them to face the harsh world out there?
• And will it prepare them to be God’s man or God’s woman for the most difficult and crucial moments in history?

Or raising a daughter of regal worth

Wouldn’t you rather see your son or daughter have true regal worth – like that of Queen Esther?

With the courage to do right, despite any danger. Courageous enough to even risk their own life for justice and righteousness or to save others, perhaps even changing the course of history in the process.

Just as Queen Esther risked her own life by appearing before King Ahasuerus without a summons, saying, “If I perish, I perish. She knew that perhaps she had become queen “for such a time as this.”

We can either raise our daughter like a little princess, or we can raise her with the queenly worth of Esther – with the moral courage to stand up for it is right – no matter the personal risk.

Signora Sheila

But I believe that Esther was queenly long before she entered the palace.

Because of the training and preparation she must surely have received in her youth and childhood. We cannot know for sure, but I imagine that Mordecai had trained his orphaned cousin wisely and well, showing her the importance of honoring God at all times.

Our times are very different from theirs, but the same dangers and risks still exist. And we can still follow the same wisdom – and raise sons and daughters with true godly and regal character.

6 principles for raising godly kids

Biblical principles for raising sons and daughters “for such a time as this.” Children who will stand firm and courageous in the face of danger.

1. Teach them that the world does not revolve around them.

That they shouldn’t expect to have everything they want, like privileged spoiled royalty. Teach them that God has greater plans than that for them, just as He had for Esther.

2. Show them how to put others first.

Teach them to serve, to encourage, and to build others up. And to give, even sacrificially.

Otherwise when they’re called to give up things as Esther was, they’ll be ill-prepared to make such sacrifices. Teach them now to give and even to go without, if necessary, for the glory of God and for the good of others.

3. Set limits.

Explain right and wrong so they’ll learn to choose what God wants, instead of choosing what they might want, what makes them feel good, or taking the easiest way out.

4. Teach them to obey principle and stand for what is right, even at great personal cost.

Prepare them to go against the flow and have the courage and strength needed to truly walk in God’s ways. To stand for righteousness, regardless of the cost, as Esther did.

5. Build healthy self-esteem, without making them feel superior.

Remove the comparison mentality, by teaching them to value and honor others. Help them see that they are not better looking, more talented, or more special than others, but that each person has special qualities and great value in God’s eyes. And teach them never to boast of their beauty, talents, or abilities, because all that they are and everything they possess comes from God.

6. And finally, teach them to appreciate the godly qualities of Queen Esther’s life.

Help them value godly qualities like obedience, loyalty, contentment, gratitude, humility, and many others.

Mordecai’s little princess

Mordecai probably saw Esther as his little princess. And in this we learn a valuable lesson.

The Hebrew culture highly loved and valued children. And although we know little about Mordecai, he may have been a childless bachelor or widower, who undoubtedly loved Esther. She would have been a companion in otherwise lonely days, a help in his coming old age, and a gift from God. The story portrays a closeness between them.

But even though he likely viewed Esther as his little princess, he raised her to be a young woman of queenly character.

Our kids, our treasures

God gives us children to cherish. But above all, He wants us to raise them with royal courage, strength, and faith. Not an easy task in our consumerist, individualistic, self-absorbed society. In a generation obsessed with selfies, beauty, success, fame, and designer clothes.

Yet we live in troubled times. Times that could quickly become like Esther’s time. When they might need the courage to stand up for what is right, saying, “If I perish, I perish.”

Wouldn’t you like to have a son or daughter with that kind of royal character? For who knows if they weren’t born for such a time as this?

“Go, gather all the Jews to be found in Susa, and hold a fast on my behalf, and do not eat or drink for three days, night or day. I and my young women will also fast as you do. Then I will go to the king, though it is against the law, and if I perish, I perish.”

Esther 4:16

📷 Image credits: queen Esther; princess; girl dancing; box