March 17: Bloom Where You are Planted
by Dr. Alicia Valasse-Polius Odsan SDA Church, St. Lucia Key Text: “…And who knoweth whether thou art come to the kingdom for such a time as this?” Esther 4:14 The period: 483BC – 473 BC The Place: Persia Central Human Protagonist: an orphaned Jewess married to an unlikely king, in an unlikely place, in an unlikely time… Esther. This is the story of a Jewish community that settled in Susa after Babylonian exile. In this context, monotheism existed alongside the rudiments of Persian Dualism. There, a story of resilience and unwavering faith would emerge. Once, a king in the third year of his reign, hosted a feast. And what a feast it was. Men of varying stature were given expressed permission to “do according to every man’s pleasure” (Esther 1: 8). And that they did …even the king. So brash was he in his bid to objectify women, he comma...