THERE IS NO ORDINARY IN THE KINGDOM
The book of Esther is one of my favorite stories. The theme is woven throughout the bible, of God taking the ordinary and transforming it into the extraordinary. I firmly believe that the word “ordinary” does not exist in God’s vocabulary and therefore does not exist in mine. In other words, there is no such thing as an ordinary Christian, ordinary Follower of Jesus Christ, or ordinary Believer. These are oxymorons, two contradictions in the same phrase, as the word ‘ordinary,’ cannot be associated with Christ in any way, shape, form, fashion, creed or context.
Esther’s story perfectly illustrates this theme. It’s actually a contrasting picture of two Queens. Although the story sounds like a fairytale, it isn’t. It’s history. There really was a King of Persia named Ahasuerus (ancestor of King Darius and King Cyrus) who had a queen named Vashti, then later married a Jewish woman named Esther. Their story is fascinating and speaks loudly to us today. It drips a honey path for those desiring to step out of the ordinary into the extraordinary, through a deep, personal and intimate relationship with their King, Jesus Christ.
Queen Vashti is a picture of the ordinary (without Christ) while Esther, an orphan Jew, living in Persia, embodies the extraordinary. Below are just a few contrasting behaviors that set them apart, and establishes Esther as God’s vessel to change the course of history and save a nation:
| Queen Vashti – Ordinary | Queen Esther – The Extraordinary |
| Proud | Humble |
| Self-Willed | God Willed |
| Self-Seeking | God Seeking |
| Ambitious | Purpose Driven |
| Controlled by fleshly needs | Surrendered to God |
| Controlling | Self-Sacrificing |
| Unforgiving | Forgiving |
| Indignant | Not easily offended |
| Superior Attitude | Exhibited humility |
| Concerned about self | Concerned about others even at the peril of self |
| Self-Security | God security |
| Impetuous | Patient |
| Reactive | Prayerfully Responsive |
| Independent | God Dependent |
| Complicated | Transparent |
| Stormy | Peaceful |
| Taker | Giver |
| Self-Sufficient | Valued Partnership with others |
| Hidden Agenda | Sincere |
| Focused on outer beauty | Driven by inner beauty |
| Quick to speak | Ready to listen |
| Quick to judge according to her standards | Wise and patient to assess situation before acting |
| Lives for today | Lives for God’s purposes |
| Not concerned about consequences impacting others | Intentionally focused on consequences |
| Concerned about reputation | Concerned about fulfilling God’s purposes regardless of reputation, position or personal consequences |
| Ornery | Quiet, gentle |
| Cold and Calculating | Compassionate and warm |
| Tears down others | Builds and encourages |
| Contemptuous | Respectful |
| Seeks Attention | Focuses on others |
| Haughty | Submitted to God |
| Self-Love | God Love |
| Religious | Relational |
In essence, the ordinary today are all the characteristics that this world values. The extraordinary are the virtues that God values. We choose. We either choose to be ordinary following the parade of this world values or we choose to be extraordinary, as a vessel of honor, as one betrothed, and set apart to the King of kings and Lord of lords, Jesus Christ.