This week in Good News Club, we looked at the life of Moses. Exodus 1-2:10 tells the story of his birth and the very beginnings of what would eventually become freedom for the Hebrew people. At first glance, it appears to be just one of these simple Bible stories that we often teach to kids in Sunday School, because it focuses on a recognizable character. It's a story that kids are usually familiar with and makes for a great Veggie Tales DVD. But when we really meditate on the story, we see that there is something much deeper here that is vital for kids to grasp in this day and age.
With the birth of Moses we see a snapshot of the great amount of faith that the Hebrew people had in God. Even in the darkest times of their slavery and oppression, they trusted that God would eventually deliver them. At the time of Moses' birth, Pharaoh had ordered that all Hebrew baby boys were to be killed, for fear of their numbers growing out of control. With great faith in God, Moses' mother hid him for 3 months, in hopes that his life would be spared. Finally, realizing that she could no longer keep him hidden, she placed him in a papyrus basket, and sent him afloat in the Nile river. Because of God's divine protection, Moses lived and would eventually grow up to lead his people out of Egypt.
But just for a moment, imagine being in Moses' mother's place. Imagine the amount of faith she must have had in order to hide her baby for 3 months, and then having to let him go into the Nile river. Imagine the fear. Imagine the heartbreaking choice that she had to make in realizing that she could no longer control the circumstances that surrounded her family. And yet despite the emotions that must have been running wild, she trusted in God and His promises to those who had faith in Him.
1 Peter 5:7 says, "Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you." This is a verse that many people will quote to others going through difficult times. I remember hearing this from a friend of mine many years ago when I was struggling through a particularly dark period of life. "OK. That sound good, but easier said than done.", I remember thinking to myself. It's one thing to know something in your head, but quite another to know it in your heart.
But over the years since then, I've realized something very significant in my life. It is easier said than done, simply because it requires more of us than just saying the words. Letting go of the anxieties of life does not mean that our circumstance are necessarily going to change. And it doesn't mean that the road will be easy. Moses' mother still had to let go of her son. She still had to face the circumstances that were not going to be changed at that time. But as she cast her son into the Nile, she symbolically cast her fears on God as well. Because her faith was greater than her fear, she was able to accomplish the seemingly impossible.
When you are called to "cast all your anxiety on Him," there is a certain amount of faith that is required. Kids need to learn this at an early age, and they need to learn it from us. As moms and dads, teachers and leaders, we need to model this, not by just mouthing the words to them, but by showing them in our actions. They need to see adults that have a faith and trust in God despite the circumstances around them.
Most likely, you'll face something this week that will make you a little anxious. I challenge you to not react to your circumstances. Regardless of what you might be feeling inwardly, don't express it outwardly. Show your children, and others around you, a person that has a trust in God that rises above what might be seen, and reveals a faith that casts fear into the river of uncertainty.
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