Inspired by the ‘Bible’ miniseries, I decided to start reading the book of Exodus again. By the end of chapter one I was bawling over the kind of evil that would order newborn baby boys to be drowned in the Nile and how one courageous mother dared to believe God could save her son.
Moses’ mother hid him for three months (hello…I had trouble keeping mine quiet for three hours) but then couldn’t keep him hidden any longer. If you’ve been around a three month old, you know how adorable they are and how they loooooove to hear themselves ‘talk’. She then placed her baby boy in a waterproof basket in the river and waited for God to rescue him. (Exodus 1-2)
Years later God would speak to Moses in a burning bush. Moses would doubt that his life was worth anything at all because of the mistakes he had made. He would argue with God over whether he was the right one to do the job God was calling him to do. (Exodus 3)
While reading these chapters I find myself wanting to shout, “Hey Moses! You were the only baby boy saved from infanticide! Your mother put you in a basket in the Nile river with crocodiles and you ‘just happened’ to be found by the Pharoah’s daughter??? You were raised a prince and nursed by your own mother! Are you kidding me? God saved you for something really special!!!!”
About the time I’m wiping my snot and tears over this story I am hit with the realization that we are all more than just lucky to be here.
Good and evil exist. And not just in really good books. In our every day lives. Deep down you know this is true. Think about your story. You know how hard it has been…how hard it is.
Take a good look at your child. As a parent it’s impossible not to think about the potential danger waiting for them on any given day. Don’t talk to strangers. Wear your helmet. Don’t go places alone. Don’t text and drive. The list goes on and on. We know that every night that we get to kiss their face and tell them we love them one more time is a gift. Their lives are worth protecting and as parents we’ll do whatever it takes.
Why is it easy to believe that God has saved our children for something really special and so hard to believe it’s true about ourselves?
God has saved YOU and ME for something really special. The very fact that life is downright brutal at times should be a clue that something is up. This life matters.
It’s easy to read someone’s story and be distracted by what God did for them and get stuck in the trap of comparison. It happens to me a lot. For just one day, let’s do ourselves a favor. Don’t fall for it. The truth is that the lives we’ve been called to live and the adventures we’ve been chosen to take are as unique as we are.
What would happen if we just pictured ourselves as that little baby in the waterproof basket…danger all around. What if we dared to believe that God isn’t just watching but is actively involved in making sure that we’re exactly where we need to be? He’s never taken His eyes off of us for one single second.
Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are mine.
When you pass through the waters, I will be with you;
and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you.
When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze.
For I am the Lord, your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior. Isaiah 43:1-3 NIV
Perhaps, like Moses, you’ve been arguing with God about whether or not you’re the right person for the job. You were saved for something really special. Please, for the rest of us, DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT!!!
If you’d like to leave a comment, I’d love to hear from you. Thanks for stopping by!
Amazing! And so True… when I was in my early twenties I was in the lowest and hardest place I had ever been in and I couldn’t see any way out of it. Then one day I had sudden revelation (Holy Spirit is AMAZING) that what I was going through was NOT the purpose and destiny of my life and to always struggle with what I was struggling with was not what I was made for. My eyes were opened to the strategy of the enemy in my life and I thought “if he is making it this aweful I must have an amazing calling and purpose”! and that made me angry and gave me a feirce determination to press through and do what ever it would take to get healing and breakthrough and that is exactly what happened!
Thank you for sharing this. It’s so powerful!
YAY!!!! You’re back! I LOVED this! Not only was your post an admonition to be grateful for every day with my children, but it was a great encouragement to me! I’ve been debating for a few weeks about something God may be asking me to do/share. Thinking that what He’s brought me through is for His glory and for someone other than me….that’s pretty cool.
That is WAY cool!