Truth and Personal Agendas

Esther 6:13b "If Mordecai, before whom you have begun to fall, is of the Jewish people, you will not overcome him but will surely fall before him."

 

This was it for Haman. Even his wife and friends knew it. Mordecai had been honored in Haman's presence and before the people, and this really bugged Haman. This was the guy that Haman hated. This was the guy that would not bow before Haman. This was the guy that caused Haman to issue a decree that he and all of the Jewish people would be destroyed. And now Mordecai was being honored? What was going on? This isn't how things were supposed to work out. Haman's plan was that Mordecai and the Jews would be annihilated and he would be a big deal in the kingdom. This plan was unraveling before his eyes. What did he do? He went to his wife and wise men for advice...and their advice? You are going to fall before him. Not exactly the advice he wanted to hear, but it was the truth, and he had to hear it.

 

Truth is like that sometimes. We make plans. We think they are good plans. We think everyone should be on board and then things start to unravel. Something went wrong. Maybe it was our motivation. Maybe it was our attitude. Maybe it was pride or a desire for recognition. Maybe our agenda was all wrong. Maybe we really did not hear from God but our plan was all self centered. And then the truth comes. Someone is kind enough but real enough to tell us the truth and it hurts. It isn't what we want to hear, but we know that it is what we should hear. At that point we have a choice. We can either repent and turn around and change or we can continue on with our dumb, self centered plans and watch what happens. Haman probably thought that his plan was still going to work when he went to have dinner with the king and queen the second time. He should have begged for mercy immediately when he went to dinner. After all he had been warned, but he didn't. He sat there and sucked in their food and watched the total destruction of his life play out before him during dinner. (Chapter 7)

 

What do I do when I am confronted with the truth? What do I do when someone comes to me and is real with me? Most of the time, the truth is spoken to me by my best friend, my wife. I don't always like what I hear, but I know that she is telling me what is right. Do I respond by continuing to go my own way? Do I ignore her warnings? Do I get defensive? Do I continue on with my selfish agenda? The smart thing to do is to repent. To change. To really listen and heed. To immediately admit my wrong and go down the right path.

 

To do otherwise is foolish. To do otherwise is dangerous. To keep pursuing my selfish agenda is destructive. Don't do it.