Queen Esther

Maybe you belong to a “perfect” family, but a lot of people don’t! Churches have a tendency to portray an ideal – which can frankly be isolating. From how we dress, speak, and what we do with our time. What about families? “Broken” ones, blended ones, and anything in between? Maybe as a child you’ve experienced shame because you weren’t like everyone else. Would you want a child in your care to feel like this because they don’t live with both their parents? Alternatively, would you want a child in your care to be naive and not know that other children don’t necessarily live with their parents? 

Esther lived with her cousin – not even grandparents, or aunties or uncles! But her cousin Mordecai was her family. He raised her well and they loved each other. Many children will not have the ideal family situation. Perhaps it’s time we talk about it and honour their situation, recognising that so many situations, just like Esther and Mordecai are truly family as well. I think we can give children more credit and help them from a young age to have more empathy for others.