Oh what a sceene it must have been. The queen ... dressed in her finest royal clothing ... anixous adn nervous ... standing at the palace courtyard entrance, waiting for an unscheduled audiance with the king. It could cost her her life if he was in a foul mood. One thing you did not do was interrupt the king or upset the scheduled events of the day. Not even the queen had that option.

The time finally came and the great doors opened. The Great Hall ... filled with the royal courtiers and the kings servants ... awaited this monumental break in protocol. Who would dare break the scheduled cycle of the court? Who would put their life at such risk?

There she stood - the queen! How beautiful she was. What could have been so important that she would risk her life this way?

The king sees her and raises the royal septer granting her entrance and an invitation to approach the throne! Oh, what a long, long walk it is to the throne. But, with head held high the queen makes the most important walk of her life. First one foot, then the other, time after time, slowly and delibertly showing more strength with every step she moves through the royal court. Every step gives her more and more resolve that what she is doing must be done. She risked her life all for one night with the king (more on that in a little while).

You see, the queen saw that she needed to fight the evil cancer of unjustice, greed and power she saw in the kings confidants and advisers. Queen Esther put her life on the line for what? Nothing less than the lives of her people.

Is that story so much different that what we face today? The lives of our people, friends, families, coworkers? Am I willing to stand up against the evil of my time? Am I willing to make the long walk through the royal court for one night with the king so I might persuade him to change the way the country is going? To help him see that his policies are killing my people?

If given the chance would I take it?