Never underestimate your ability to mother. Still in my study of Moses, this week I found myself reflecting on Moses’ earlier life - from the time of his birth until the time of his first-born son. As I replayed the scenes in my mind and listened to the Lord’s narrative, I realized when God called Moses to go and free the Israelites, He had wired him for this work. He had a heart for the underdog and a willingness to stand up and fight injustice.

As I thought more and more about Moses’ wiring, I realized that it was directly influenced by the women in his life - from the midwives who delivered him, to the mother who birthed him, to his adoptive mother who raised him. They too, were all willing to stand up against the oppressed. It’s no wonder we see this same trait woven into the character of Moses. 

The midwives were commanded by Pharaoh to put the Hebrew baby boys to death. “But the midwives feared God and did not do as the king of Egypt had commanded them, but let the boys live.” They were willing to stand against injustice. 

Since the midwives thwarted the plans of Pharaoh, he instructed his people to cast the Hebrew sons into the Nile and save the daughters. So Moses’ birth mother decided not to ignore the order, but to go around it and put her son in the Nile herself, her way. After hiding him in her home for a bit, she placed him in a protected basket among the reeds at the river, praying his life would be preserved.  She too, fought for the underdog, who in this instance was her son.

When Moses was found by none other than Pharaoh’s daughter, we come to understand where Moses derived his determination in the face of oppression. Not only did she totally refuse to obey her father’s order, but she saved a baby from the river and brought him home as her son. And to continually remind her father that she stood against his order of casting little boys into the water, she named him Moses, meaning “I drew him out of the water.” It was like saying “I saved that which you were trying to destroy.” She stood strong and took action to free the oppressed.

All three of these women mothered Moses in their own unique way. All three influenced him greatly by not only standing for what was right, but by taking sacrificial actions to bring about change. This is how Moses came to have the raw materials that God could shape and use to set a whole nation free. Moses was mothered by three different women. 

Like Moses, I’ve had many women who have mothered me along life’s journey. There was my biological mom who gave birth and raised me, my step-mom and my mother-in-law, along with so many other women who influenced who I am today. Some had children who were grown and gone when they entered my life like Kay, June, Mildred and Eloise. Others only had sons, like Karen, Jackie and Jan, so I was their “daughter.” Some, like my dance teachers, Helen and Denise, had no birth children, so they loved and “raised” me as their own. There were also so many others, too many to name, who mothered me spiritually, helping me to grow and mature in God’s Word. 

I can’t tell you the number of women who have come alongside me in mothering my own children, like Margie, Nancy, Julie, Ruth, Annette, Joanne, Marilyn, Mary, Cindy, Pam and Kathy. Some were neighbors, many were Sunday School teachers and others family friends, but all of them have been great influencers in the lives of my children.

As we approach another Mother’s Day, let us remember that whether you give birth to a child, adopt them, neighbor them or care for them in a class, never underestimate your ability to be a “mother” in another person’s life. We are wired for this work.

 Many blessings,
Katie

In this social media driven society, should we always share everything with everybody? Is Reality TV the lay of the land, or should we have filters for authenticity, vulnerability and transparency?

In answering questions like these, there is one source that can give us much greater insight than Google, and his name is Jesus. While on earth, Jesus not only came to restore our relationship with God, but to model life for us here in God’s kingdom.

In looking at Jesus’ life and reviewing the short, yet impactful, story of the Garden of Gethsemane (Matthew 26:36-46), I believe we can find answers to the questions above.

In this passage, we see three distinct groups Jesus directly related to: his outer circle (a group of twelve), his inner circle (a group of three) and his audience of One (his relationship with the Father).

To his outer circle, Jesus told them, “Stay here while I pray.” He was open and honest about his actions and intentions. He told them about the bread and wine representing his body and blood, and he shared about the hard days ahead. He was being authentic, especially about his need to pray in that moment. Authenticity is being real and true to who we are with everyone. God doesn’t want us to speak lies, but He doesn’t want us to live them either. Being authentic is living and leading from our true self, not our false self. It’s not trying to measure up to look good, be good, do good, but living out of a place of humility and truth of who we really are.

As Jesus walked on further, he invited his inner circle to make this journey with him. He began to share his deep feelings of anxiety and distress. He told them about the sorrow and grief that was encircling his soul and feeling crushed from the thought of his bleak days ahead. He was being vulnerable, very vulnerable. Vulnerability is being completely honest with others and being able to share our deep feelings and struggles without fear of condemnation or retribution. Our circle of vulnerability is usually comprised of those who will speak truth to us in love.

After Jesus asked his inner circle to keep watch and wait with him, he leaned in to converse with his audience of One, our heavenly Father. He stretched out in front of Him in prayer and spoke his deepest thoughts, “Is there any way this fate can pass from me?” In this intimate time of communion, he was free to question. Free to doubt. Free to express fear for what lay ahead. Free to be transparent. In a transparent relationship, there is nothing hidden that remains hidden. We are free to put everything on the table. Things we are willing to face and tough things we’d rather forget. Like the relationship Jesus had with the Father, our transparent relationship is where we find our greatest source of strength. We can share everything with Him, knowing we are totally and completely loved, trusting that God always has our best interest at heart. “Not my will, but yours.”

Sometimes, we can cause more damage than good by sharing everything with everybody. As we come to understand the difference between authenticity, vulnerability and transparency, we can better discern what is appropriate to post on social media or discuss with others. I have often used these words synonymously in the past, but as I reread the passage about Jesus’ final hours in the garden, I now realize how important it is to understand the difference. We are to be authentic with all, vulnerable with a few and totally transparent with the One.

Recently as I was praying, the following phrase came from the Lord, “Women who are leaders and devoted to Me can change the world.” 

As I reflected on those words, my thoughts were drawn to a few very specific women in the Bible— those who went to the tomb that first Easter morning. They were leaders, women of influence, and they influenced not only each other, but their actions are still influencing us today. 

These women were brave enough to journey with Jesus to the cross, despite the animosity of the crowd. They didn’t run away when they saw Christ being persecuted; in fact, they remained steadfast and focused until the end, even when others of His followers fled. 

They were humble and caring and willing to do what needed to be done, when it needed to be done. They didn’t hesitate and weren’t timid. They were ordinary women open to being used by God for his extraordinary purposes.

After Jesus was laid in the tomb, the women went home that night to prepare the burial spices, and then they took a very important step. They stopped. Instead of rushing to get their task done, they rested quietly on the Sabbath and didn’t let their work get in the way of their worship. It gave them each the time to prepare their body, mind and spirit for what God had laid on their hearts to do. And when the sun rose the next morning, so did the women. They
went out early and without delay. They didn’t exhibit any fear or concern of how they were going to move the big boulder in front of the tomb. 

Instead, they trusted, and their trust in God made them bold, determined and disciplined. It led them to be the first ones to hear the news of the risen Lord and to be able to share it with others. And even though the disciples first laughed at them when the women told them about Jesus’ resurrection, the men didn’t ignore their message. They still went to see for themselves.

That was influence at work. It’s called leadership. And the world was forever changed. By ordinary women.

Has the Lord put something on your heart to do? If so, what is your first step—to race to get it done or to stop and sit with Jesus? Today, I would like to encourage you to take a few moments to worship before work and see what a difference it makes.