Haman

Esther Denouncing Haman to Ahasuerus by Ernest Normand

⁹ And Haman went out that day joyful and glad of heart. But when Haman saw Mordecai in the king's gate, that he neither rose nor trembled before him, he was filled with wrath against Mordecai. ¹⁰ Nevertheless, Haman restrained himself and went home, and he sent and brought his friends and his wife Zeresh. ¹¹ And Haman recounted to them the splendor of his riches, the number of his sons, all the promotions with which the king had honored him, and how he had advanced him above the officials and the servants of the king. ¹² Then Haman said, “Even Queen Esther let no one but me come with the king to the feast she prepared. And tomorrow also I am invited by her together with the king. ¹³ Yet all this is worth nothing to me, so long as I see Mordecai the Jew sitting at the king's gate.

Esther 5:9-13

I was listening to the book of Esther on my ipod the other day, and the above passage stood out to me.  Everybody knows Haman was a very wicked man - avaricious, conniving, filled with hate and ready to exterminate God's people without cause.  His hatred for Mordecai was especially vehement because Mordecai was not afraid of him and refused to kowtow to him.  According to this passage, it appears that all of Haman's wealth and accomplishments meant nothing to him so long as Mordecai was around. 

And then I thought, is there a Haman in all of us?  We hope we are never so consumed with hatred like Haman to the point of plotting to kill, but do we harbor any bitterness toward anyone that so consume us that we cannot appreciate the blessings that we do have?  Or have we been so focused on  one thing that we don't have or can't have, that everything we do have pales in comparison?