Month: August 2022

How To Be A Catalyst

~ OchiengFamily ~ 1 Comment

What I found most interesting in the book of Esther was that- despite how prominent she is in the Sunday School stories- she is seen as more of a minor benefactor in her own book. Queen Esther is a pivotal character- yet she is the most useful in chapters 2-5, as well as in 7 and 8. Esther is very much a figure to be remembered.

    But as I continued to read all 10 chapters within the book of Esther- the thing that stood out most to me was that- well, Esther seemed to be just that. A figure. It is stated multiple times that Esther was very fair in King Xerxes’ eyes, which did play a part in the defeat of Haman. But I do clearly remember that in Sunday School, Esther was cunning as she was beautiful. That she had purposely put herself before the king as a grab for power to help her people. In the book- it seems as though the situation lined up for Esther’s wellness. And yes- these events were obviously the Lord’s doing. But I feel that Esther- despite being one of the more visible women in the bible- does not seem to have the title that many give her. So as I read her book- I decided to name her something else. Something more fitting. I decided to name Esther the Catalyst.

    By definition, a catalyst is a person who precipitates the event. Esther fits this description perfectly. She did help set the freeing of the Jews in motion, along with Mordecai. Mind you- at first Esther was reluctant to approach the king. When reading- she seemed almost hesitant in my eyes. As though she was thinking- ‘Why give all this up to go before the king?’ It is often glazed over- to me at least- that Esther asked for all the Jews, including Mordecai, to fast for three days before she went to the king. Esther wanted to have God’s approval first, before she took the risk. Once they did do this, she went before the king and was granted his permission to speak. 

    I admire Esther for her idea. The idea being that she would expose Haman before the king, as to protect her people. As I was reading- I was confused. It seemed as though Mordecai had pushed this idea to the queen. But I found as I reread the area- that it was Esther’s own doing. This is the moment that Esther is most remembered for- however small it seems in the span of the whole book. Yet this moment is the prompt that Esther took toward the Jew empowerment. This is the moment that- even if it is seen as Esther using her cunning mind- is the one she also set a push in the right direction. I like to think of Esther as a second protagonist in her own book of the bible. Toward the end of the book- it is highlighted how Mordecai rose to power as King Xerxes’ new right hand man- and how the Jews became strong. Less and less is mentioned about Esther. Yes, she did help with some of the decrees, and as a spokesperson to the king- but these were minor.

    Esther in my eyes will always just be a catalyst- now that I’ve read her book. Although some may see her as the quick-minded queen- I simply see her as a figure for God’s will, like Mary. She is merely there to push the order of things along. The thing to take away from Esther’s book is not only to be brave in the face of decision making- but also to take the first step. To take the first step can set off chain reactions that better the surroundings, and everyone should aspire to be that way.

Aisosa Ochieng

Is mental health spiritual?

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This is one question, I have often heard asked in the Church, especially in my Nigerian community. Your response will depend on which perspective you are looking at it from. Let’s see how we can do justice to it from both a biblical and professional perspective.

Ephesians 6:12 reminds us that we “…not fighting against flesh and blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in the dark world, and against evil spirits in heavenly places.” (NLT). So, the answer to that question is yes, mental health is spiritual, as well as everything else that we must deal with in life. The moment we start to view life from the lens of Ephesians 6:12, Challenges become clearer to tackle.

In the case of mental health, what we see displayed by individuals who struggle, is their minds way of making sense of this spiritual warfare, disguised as childhood trauma, parental curses and so on. And just as God has given medical doctors the gift of being able to help patients with medical issues, on the other hand we also have those in the mental health field, who have been gifted to help individuals make sense of their world and situations. Granted, there have been a lot of stigmas around mental health but I think in the past few years we are coming to the point where people are getting informed and are therefore equipped to seek help for themselves and loved ones that may be struggling.

Just remember that it is okay to seek professional help. Now more than any other time, we have people that have been trained to cater to your mental health needs, whether Christian or non-Christian. I work in a secular setting and provide both Christian and non-Christian therapy.

Sosasmama.