Read:
Exodus 5
Reflect: Moses’
first attempts to persuade Pharoah to let his people go end in failure, and in
Chapter 5 we see how scary it is just to get started. The people fear that
Moses will make things worse. They’re right. It’s going to take a whole lot
more suffering for everyone before God’s people will finally march out of Egypt
Recite the Week's Verse: Isaiah 41:13 For I am the Lord, your God, who takes hold of your right hand and says to you, “Do not fear; I will help you.”
Pray: Gracious Lord, Help me grow in courage and faith so that my fear does not stop me from doing what is right in your eyes. Amen.
This is a difficult question for me. When I wrote it, I was thinking of others (people in a abusive relationships, mainly, or people experiencing racism and political oppression), not myself. I've lived in difficult situations (though nothing like the slavery of the Israelites!), but I'm a problem solver by nature. When I see a problem in my life, I try to fix it. If I can't, I change how I look at it as much as I can.
ReplyDeleteFor me, the bigger challenge is letting go of trying to fix something I can't/shouldn't and accepting that I can't fix everything, that some things can't be fixed in our very broken world, that it's not my place to fix some things. I'm getting much better at not fearing failure as I get older and have learned through experience that God turns all bad to good eventually. I'm also getting better at listening to the Holy Spirit guide my fixing so God can use that energy for His good, but I still have a long way to go!
I'm truly grateful to have never experienced the kind of vicious oppression that broke the spirit of the Israelites in Egypt.
It's taken me 58 years to realize that I can't fix or control everything. And to also not fear 'fear' quite as much. That unknown is always so difficult. When my dear FIL was dying, he had expressed that he was not afraid of death, just the unknown. He came out of a coma just an hour or so prior to passing, smiled, and said, 'it's okay, I'm not afraid anymore'. What peace we all felt that he was able to have such peace in his final moments. I would probably not have been a very good Israelite :)
ReplyDeleteMe, either, Patti!
ReplyDeleteYour words about your FIL gave me goose-bumps. How beautiful that he found the peace that passes understanding and was able to bless all of you with it, too!