{"id":857,"date":"2011-06-21T05:29:56","date_gmt":"2011-06-21T09:29:56","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.beliefnet.com\/simplelife\/?p=857"},"modified":"2011-06-19T17:18:53","modified_gmt":"2011-06-19T21:18:53","slug":"leadership-standing-no-matter-what","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/simplelife\/2011\/06\/leadership-standing-no-matter-what.html","title":{"rendered":"Leadership–Standing no matter what"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>Making decisions are a part of all of our lives. \u00a0Each day we make a mulititude of decisions. \u00a0Whenever the phone rings, I have to decide whether to answer it or not. \u00a0If I\u2019m in the middle of \u00a0teaching or lecturing or preaching, of course, I won\u2018t answer the phone. \u00a0However, when my mother was ill and if I got a call from South Carolina, I would have someone else answer it, even if I wasn’t able to do it.<\/p>\n

In the same way, leaders must make hard decisions to do the right thing. Perhaps it’s not every day. \u00a0It could be only once in a lifetime, but those decision could change the course of history.<\/p>\n

A few years ago, during the Jewish Feast of Purim, I met an Iranian. \u00a0A tall, handsome, \u00a0young man born in Iran, he was a waiter at the hotel where we were attending a conference. \u00a0We were interesting in the fact that he was celebrating the Jewish festival. \u00a0“Why are you celebrating Purim?” we asked him.<\/p>\n

This is the feast celebrated to remember the deliverance of the Jewish people when they were in captivity in Pursia (modern-day Iran). \u00a0“Esther was Jewish,” we said.<\/p>\n

“Yes,” he replied, “but she was OUR queen. \u00a0This is also the first day of the Persian New Year.” \u00a0Then he explained some of the differences that Esther made during her reign as queen. \u00a0He claimed that though this was more than 2,400 years ago, her reforms have stood all these years. \u00a0Even the dictatorship of the oppressive \u00a0Muslim mullahs have not erased some of the reforms.<\/p>\n

Esther was an unlikely, vibrant leader. \u00a0However, she found her place and voice when she was forced to stand up for the right thing. \u00a0 Many of us know the story. \u00a0Esther had been made queen because she won a beauty contest put on by the king of Persia, Xerxes. \u00a0Her people, the Jews, had been carried off into captivity. \u00a0They were an oppressed people.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
Andre de Castagno's Esther<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Her uncle and foster father, Mordecai, instructed her to keep her heritage quiet and she obeyed. \u00a0Then Mordecai angered an important kingdom official. \u00a0The official, in turn, tricked the king to sign a law that mandated the slaughter of the entire Jewish nation.<\/p>\n

Uncle Modecai wanted Esther to stand up against the law passed against the Jewish people. \u00a0By all indications, Esther was shy and retiring. \u00a0She was more than reticent to appear before the king. \u00a0The Persian Law stated that if she appeared before the king and he snubbed her, she would be sentenced to death.<\/p>\n

Mordecai told Esther that if she did nothing she would be killed, yet God would find another way to protect the nation. \u00a0It appears that her appearance before the king was not a statement indicating her strength and faith in God but a feeble response to this\u00a0threat issued by her uncle.<\/p>\n

Esther asked that Mordecai and the Jewish nation fast and pray for her. \u00a0Mordecai agreed. \u00a0The result was that God saved the nation. \u00a0Esther remained queen of Persia. \u00a0She became a vibrant leader.<\/p>\n

Apparently, God took a shy, submissive young woman; and He made her into a queen who would change the history of two nations. \"\"<\/a> Most of us don’t believe that we are leaders. \u00a0We do assume that there is not a thread of leadership material in our fiber. \u00a0However, all of us are leaders somewhere.<\/p>\n

Fathers and mothers are the leaders of one or more potential nations. \u00a0“The Hand That Rocks the Cradle is The Hand That Rules the World” is more than a poem by William Ross Wallace.<\/a> It is the truth.<\/p>\n

God put Esther in the right place at the right time. \u00a0Sometime in your life, God will also \u00a0put you in the unique position to altar the history of someone you love. \u00a0Sure, God\u00a0will give you encouragement, if you need it. \u00a0He will teach you that your decisions are important.<\/p>\n

Standing up for what is right could save many people. \u00a0Or standing up for what is right may simple be the correct and godly thing to do. \u00a0Esther was able to see what her good thing did. \u00a0We are not always able to see how much we help others.<\/p>\n

Additionally, by helping others and standing no matter what will help each of us to grow stronger.<\/p>\n

Standing up for what is right maychange the life of many people or it may just help us to get stronger. \u00a0Leadership may not always be visible until crisis brings it to the forefront. \u00a0 Then God allows true leaders to emerge and direct the action.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Making decisions are a part of all of our lives. \u00a0Each day we make a mulititude of decisions. \u00a0Whenever the phone rings, I have to decide whether to answer it or not. \u00a0If I\u2019m in the middle of \u00a0teaching or lecturing or preaching, of course, I won\u2018t answer the phone. \u00a0However, when my mother was…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":387,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5,20,3,40,10,16,11,147,8,4,41],"tags":[21,688,696,7,163,699,164,701,13,694,709,689,57,692,700],"class_list":["post-857","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-christianity","category-church","category-developmental-disabilities","category-faith","category-inspirational","category-intellectual-disability","category-intellectually-disabled","category-leadership","category-mentally-challenged-community","category-simple-truths","category-spirituality","tag-christian","tag-christianity","tag-church","tag-developmental-disabilities-2","tag-esther","tag-faith","tag-feast-of-purim","tag-inspiration","tag-intellectual-disabilities","tag-intellectual-disability","tag-leadership","tag-mentally-challenged-community","tag-prayer","tag-religion","tag-spirituality"],"yoast_head":"\nLeadership-Standing no matter what - A Simple Life, a Childlike Faith<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/simplelife\/2011\/06\/leadership-standing-no-matter-what.html\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Leadership-Standing no matter what - A Simple Life, a Childlike Faith\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Making decisions are a part of all of our lives. \u00a0Each day we make a mulititude of decisions. \u00a0Whenever the phone rings, I have to decide whether to answer it or not. \u00a0If I\u2019m in the middle of \u00a0teaching or lecturing or preaching, of course, I won\u2018t answer the phone. \u00a0However, when my mother was…\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/simplelife\/2011\/06\/leadership-standing-no-matter-what.html\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"A Simple Life, a Childlike Faith\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2011-06-21T09:29:56+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2011-06-19T21:18:53+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"http:\/\/blog.beliefnet.com\/simplelife\/files\/2011\/06\/253468_2017949285056_1133582940_32400385_1435890_n.jpg2.jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Linda G. 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