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Queen Esther is all the rage these days. It’s not very often that we see a female protagonist as the main character in a Biblical story (think: Esther and Ruth) so it’s quite exciting to follow her trajectory from Jewish girl to Queen of Persia.

And there is this great moment, not everyone is going to believe me but hear me out, it’s great. Mordechai, Esther’s uncle/cousin (depending which definition you’re following) approaches Esther and tells her it is time to go to Achashverosh. The Jewish people are in grave danger. There is a plan in play to annihilate the entire Jewish population. And their one chance at survival seems to be Esther. Esther is married to Achashverosh and Mordechai feels that Achashverosh is the only one that can save the Jews.

But Esther hems and haws. She is scared to go. She needs to be called to the king and cannot take the initiative. That’s how it’s always done. She has her very valid reasons of why not. And Mordechai needs to push her, to give her that little nudge until she works through her fear.

We all live life with our 100 reasons of why not. Our inner voice can sometimes be our worst enemy. There are always reasons why not: we’re not young enough, fit enough, smart enough. We don’t have the time, the money, the support. No one will like it, people will gossip, I’m not very talented.

We can always find a “no.” The challenge is to find the strength to say “yes.” Esther is not weaker because she has these fears and inhibitions. She is stronger because she works through them, rises above them and succeeds in saving the Jewish people.