Esther 2:15
“Now when the turn of Esther, the daughter of Abihail the uncle of Mordecai, who had taken her for his daughter, was come to go in unto the king, she required nothing but what Hegai the king’s chamberlain, the keeper of the women, appointed. And Esther obtained favour in the sight of all them that looked upon her.
Esther is one of the amazing characters in the Scriptures. She was orphaned as a young girl, and Mordecai, her uncle, took her as his own daughter and reared her. She could have easily rebelled against her uncle because he was not her real father, but she did not. She could have easily become bitter at God for not allowing her parents to live long enough to rear her, but she did not. From all accounts in the Scriptures, Esther accepted her plot in life and made the best of it.
So, what was the secret to her rise to power? She certainly was not given a silver spoon at birth. She did not come from an influential family in the country. She did not have the pedigree of a ruling family. She did not have anything that many people think a person must have to gain power. She was an orphan and poor, yet she still gained enough influence to rise to throne of the queen.
The secret is found in two separate verses. In verse 10 it says, “Esther had not shewed her people nor her kindred: for Mordecai had charged her that she should not shew it.” Then the verse above says about Esther, “…she required nothing but what Hegai the king’s chamberlain, the keeper of the women, appointed.”
In both instances, she did not follow her own opinions, but she followed the opinions and advice of those who knew more than she. Mordecai was wiser than Esther about the feelings of the people towards the Jews, so he advised her not to tell her kindred. Hegai knew more of what appealed to the king than she, so she followed his advice. She easily could have done what the rest of the young ladies did by following their own whims of what they thought would make them appealing to the king, but she did not do this. In both cases, she simply followed the advice of those who knew what was right, and that led to her rise to queen.
The secret to Esther’s success was her willingness to follow the advice of those who knew more than she. You will never rise to any level of great authority or influence unless you learn to listen to the advisors God places in your life. The know-it-all attitude only harms your potential. You must realize that there are people whom God places in your life who know more than you, and you would be wise to not only listen to their advice but also follow it.
Are you the type of person who never listens to anyone because you think you have all the answers, or are you the type of person who acknowledges the advice of those who know more than you? The degree of your potential depends upon how teachable you are. The degree of your potential truly depends upon whether you are willing to listen to people who know more than you. If you will have a teachable spirit and are willing to listen to the advisors God places in your life, then you will find that by following their advice you will find greater success. I encourage you to humble yourself and listen to the advisors God places in your life. No matter what your age may be, always be humble enough to listen to the advisors God has placed in your life.