For a long time now, two stories have resonated with me in very different ways whenever I think about them. The first is a statement Mordecai makes to Esther. If you are not familiar with the story, it is a biblical account that took place during a time when the Israelites had been carried into captivity in a foreign nation. We hear of a man called Mordecai, who raised his orphaned cousin Esther as his own daughter. Esther was described as very beautiful, and because of that,