30 Days of Esther: Day 9

"The posts went out, being hastened by the king's commandment, and the decree was given in Shushan the palace. And the king and Haman sat down to drink; but the city Shushan was perplexed." - Esther 3:15

We can all relate to out of touch leadership, can't we? (Especially with all that's happening in the government no matter on which side of the aisle you sit!) However, do we realize how often we are relating to King Ahasuerus at this point?

Most people would think, "How can I be like Ahasuerus? I'm not in a position of authority." But, almost all of us exercise some form of authority. We're mothers, employers, teachers, deacons, pastors, etc. 

When I was in High School my dad had a bad habit of committing me to babysit for people without talking to me. The act itself was not wrong at all, he was my father and he had every right to decide these things for me. However, he didn't realize that often my mother and I had made other plans (he never knew what was going on schedule-wise) they might have been school related or even just times with my friends, but I was committed to those first. 

This would frustrate me so much! I often had to tell the people who needed a sitter myself, which was awkward to say the least. The point of this story being: my dad sometimes was a little disconnected from my schedule and my commitments so he would make decisions that would displease me. Now, this is obviously minor, but an example that this situation can happen to any of us.
The cause of my father's error (and I use the term very lightly here) is that he simply didn't realize there were scheduling conflicts. Much more seriously the cause of Ahasuerus' oversight is that he was proud. His pride was to the point that he'd lost touch with reality, and that he didn't think that extinguishing a people from his kingdom was a "big deal." 

Pride can cause leaders or parents to disregard what's happening with our subordinates. I find myself doing this all the time. Tabby will tell me she can't do something, I get angry, and then, I realize there is a legitimate reason why she can not. While most of these mistakes are minor, unfortunately, in today's society, Ahasuerus-like mistakes still exist.  think of the issue of abortion. Women are so proud that they don't see the evil they commit. They casually disregard life, and go about their lives. 

30 Days of Esther: Days 1-8