All That Glitters by Barbara Jean Hicks

Author:Barbara Jean Hicks [Hicks, Barbara Jean]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 978-0-307-78599-2
Publisher: The Crown Publishing Group
Published: 2011-03-16T00:00:00+00:00

13

THE SERMON WAS ABOUT ESTHER, WHO HAPPENED TO BE ONE OF Cindy’s favorite Old Testament characters. It was something of a Cinderella story, when it came right down to it: the lowly Jewish maiden, an orphan and a descendant of slaves, chosen by King Xerxes out of all the girls in Persia to be queen of the land. Of course it went far beyond Cinderella, what with Esther risking her very life to bring the evil Haman to justice and to save her people from destruction. Esther was no namby-pamby princess, that was for sure.

“One of the qualities that brought Esther to power in the palace,” said Pastor Bob, “was her teachability. The king’s eunuch, Hegai, gets short shrift in the story of Esther—”

Cindy, in fact, didn’t even remember a character named Hegai in the story of Esther.

“—but for twelve months, Hegai was Esther’s personal mentor, not to mention her diet and beauty consultant. In charge of her makeover, if you will.”

Cindy perked up. Her makeover!

“There was something about Esther that Hegai liked,” Pastor Bob continued. “Perhaps her humility. Her willingness to learn. He gave her special attention, and she blossomed under it.

“When it was finally time to go before the king, Esther consulted Hegai one last time. How should she act? What should she say? What should she take with her? We don’t know what Hegai told her—only that Esther listened, and learned, and ‘won the favor of everyone who saw her,’ as the writer tells us—including the king, who ‘was attracted to Esther more than to any of the other women,’ and she ‘won his favor and approval.’

“Esther was wise to seek the counsel of others who knew the things that she did not. May we follow her lead and be always teachable.”

There was more, but Cindy didn’t hear it. Her mind was tripping all over itself. Why, Esther’s situation might as well have been her own! A simple girl who hadn’t had the privileges some others might have had, put in a position where she had to somehow capture the king’s attention and then his heart. In competition with the most beautiful girls in the land, no less …

Her fingers tapped absently at the keys of the flute in her lap, making quiet little popping sounds that echoed her growing excitement. Wasn’t this just what she’d decided last night—that she could learn what she needed to learn to get Jonathan back? That she could figure out “glamorous” as well as anyone? That she could play the same part Aubrey du Puy had learned to play?

Jonathan Crum might not be a king, but he was king of her heart. And Cindy might not have all the advantages of Aubrey, but she was teachable. Surely Pastor Bob’s sermon was confirmation that her self-improvement plan was the will of the Almighty.

Why, without even thinking about it she could come up with a grocery list of possible mentors. She had True Marie, down at the Belle o’ the Ball Beauty Salon, and the twins, who’d taken a charm course last year.

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