MOSES

Moses had a difficult task; he was required to tread a path between his Israelite heritage and the Gentile royal Egyptian family in which he grew up. At times, he seemed to favor his Israelite heritage, such as when he defended one of the Israelites against an Egyptian attacker. At other times, he seemed to prefer his royal heritage. But God required that he embrace both sides. In today's culture, one is not permitted to embrace genuine diversity, but must strongly align with one side or the other in order to be worthy of inclusion. The slightest notion that one might consider the other side's position to have validity is deemed a justifiable reason for condemnation.

When Moses was rejected by the Israelites, even after defending one of their own, he journeyed to Midian and married an Egyptian. His sons were raised as Egyptians. It was only after God sent him to set the Israelites free from Pharaoh that he again began to embrace his Israelite family. He knew that it was time, once again, to spread his net of inclusion. It was what God expected of him. He also knew that if he failed to win their trust, they would have no other hope; they all had become too entrenched in the mindset of slavery and saw their Egyptian leaders as sent from God. Some Israelites worshipped them as God.

We face a similar dilemma today wherein the trappings of church have become so ingrained in our way of being that it is virtually impossible to think "outside of the box." We try to get off the treadmill but find ourselves catapulted back onto it at the slightest sign of turmoil. When God decides that he wants us to be set free, it is because being free inures to our benefit. We are able to embrace him  in a whole new way, and we begin to see a vision of the heights to which we could soar. Trusting God takes faith, but not trusting him may be the biggest tragedy of all time. It means that we will have forfeited the opportunity to enjoy the fruits of our labor.