When Silence Stops Working: Why Esther’s Story Still Matters

From Sunday School to Baptist Training Union to Vacation Bible School, I heard about Esther saving her people. My teachers taught Esther was a good queen, while Vashti was a bad queen.

However, lately, I keep coming back to Esther’s story because it resonates with my 60-year-old mind and heart in a profound way that makes me pause.

Based upon my lived experiences and those of countless Black women of faith, I now know that Esther did not wake up one day feeling bold. She didn’t start out trying to change the world. She was trying to survive, and I understand that more than I wish.

Esther lived in a system where the rules were clear. Women did not speak up. They did not speak unless spoken to first. Women did not interrupt power. Women followed orders if they wanted to live. Even as queen, Esther did not have real control. One wrong move could cost her everything. She was positioned in a position of power, but she did not possess any actual power.

So, she did what many of us do. She did what she had to do. She stayed quiet, and for a while, silence worked until it didn’t.

When Silence Feels Safer Than Truth.

Esther’s silence wasn’t about fear alone. Esther’s silence was about risk. If she spoke to the king without an invitation, she faced death. That was the law. No debate. No second chances.

Truth is, many Black women of faith, and others who live on the margins, know this feeling. You learn early when to speak and when to stay quiet. You learn how to read the room. You learn how to keep the peace. You learn how to survive systems that were not built with you in mind.

You don’t call it silencing. You call it wisdom… but then something shifts.

The Moment Everything Changes

Esther’s cousin Mordecai tells her the truth she has been avoiding. He says, do not think you will be safe just because you are in the palace.

And that’s when Esther has to choose. Her choices are not life and death because she has already been living with that risk. She had to choose between comfort and purpose.

That choice feels familiar.

She Didn’t Rush. She Got Ready.

Of course, I did not learn this in my Sunday School classroom, but after many lived experiences, I’ve come to appreciate that Esther was strategic. She did not move fast just to prove that she was brave. She stopped. She prayed, and she fasted. She asked others to stand with her.

Esther shows us that speaking up does not mean acting wild or reckless. She employs discernment, which means she knew why she was speaking and who she was speaking up for.

Then she says the words we all remember. “If I perish, let me perish.” These words are spoken after Esther carefully calculates her risks. When she does step up and speak up, she is not doing so out of fear. She is speaking with clarity.

Why Esther Matters to Us

Esther matters because she names the truth many of us live with. Some systems like you quiet. They like your work, your help, and your loyalty. They just do not want your voice. They want your gifts while demeaning your gender.

Esther teaches us this. Silence can feel safe, but it is not the same as peace, and obedience does not mean disappearing.

Her story asks a hard question. What happens when staying quiet costs more than speaking up?

Why I’m Teaching This Right Now

I believe many Black women are standing in an Esther moment. You are tired of shrinking. Tired of carrying things alone. Tired of calling silence faith.

Esther calls us to talk honestly about fear, power, silence, and voice. She teaches us to let go of church talk and pressure to perform. She calls us to truth, care, and clarity.

That’s why I’ve curated the Whole, Heard & Healed: The Unmuted Six-Week experience for women who are ready to stop surviving systems and start living whole. In this Masterclass, we spend time naming what silenced you, healing what you, and learning how to use your voice without guilt.

Esther didn’t change because the system changed. She changed because she decided silence was no longer an option for her or her people.

If that feels close to home, you are not alone, and you don’t have to figure this out by yourself. Your path to liberation begins here.

Pull up a chair. Let’s talk

Dr. Sherri, The UnMuted One