Guest Blogger IV: The Esther Connection

AIKEN'S NOTES: I can't thank the author of the following Guest Blogger installment enough for her analysis of my novel. Reading an article like the following is not only incredibly humbling, but also serves as confirmation of the precise point I was making when I wrote For Such a Time as This. None of us are insignificant in God's plan...we all have a part to play! God has blessed us all with such different talents, and he expects us to USE the talents He has given us for HIS glory! He gave me a talent and passion for writing, and it is my ultimate goal in life to write for Him. As someone once put it, I want to be the sort of woman that when my feet hit the floor in the mornings, the Devil says, "Crap, she's up!" I LOVE that quote! ;)

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The Esther Connection

There is something powerful about taking a timeless biblical story and showing its application to our modern world in a way that is both seamless yet not understated. That is precisely what Aiken Brown does in her second novel, For Such a Time as This.

For Such a Time as This' lovable protagonist, Summer Greene, is carefully crafted into a modern day version of the inspirational biblical figure, Esther.

Esther was a brave, young girl who saved her people as a direct result of her willingness to let God use her to fulfill His plan. She was not the most likely hero, but God had a plan for her life that would make her one of the most significant women in history. She is a role model to be admired and respected by every woman who came after her. For me, Esther is an incredibly relatable character that woman throughout history can see themselves in.

Aiken Brown's contemporary applications to the faithful character of Summer are spot-on and inspirational. If you have your doubts as to whether or not fictional characters can be role models, I would like to introduce to you a young woman with the power to do just that. Summer Greene has inspired countless young women and will continue to do so as new readers are introduced to For Such a Time as This. Summer's insightful words within the novel represent my wish, and I believe the author's wish, for the novel itself. She prays, "Please just put the words that he needs to hear into my mouth and let me be a mouthpiece for You. Give me the ability to look past all my selfish pride and anger, and let me show him Your love through my words and actions."

The moral of both women's stories is this: God is not limited by anything! He is not restricted to flashy miracles to change the course of history. He frequently uses one simple person to change the circumstances around them, and by changing even one life, that person unknowingly changes countless others. Esther was one such woman, and so was Summer Greene, who brilliantly represents any woman who has ever found herself in a position to demonstrate the faith she professes in action.

I will leave you with this: "Charm is deceptive and beauty is fleeting, but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised." Proverbs 31:30

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*Submitted by Anna, a journalism major at Baylor University with a special interest in women's studies.