To Every Woman Who Affects the Lives of Others, Part 1
“Mothers are like glue. Even when you cannot see them, they are still holding the family together.” —Susan Gale
If you are mother of a child growing up in today’s world, you may wonder how much of an impact you are having on your child’s life. At times, the influence of teachers, peers, television, video games, and even the government may seem to be outweighing your influence.
Let’s look at the life of Jochebed (the Lord our Glory), the mother of Moses. She lived through an extremely difficult time. The Israelites were residing in the land of Goshen and grew as a thriving nation, but eventually became slaves to the Egyptians. By this time Goshen had become a ‘Hebrew ghetto’ housing the workers while they built treasure cities. Despite the history of the ghetto, it also became a haven for the children of Israel and kept them safe during the plagues. Because the Pharaoh feared the Israelites would outnumber the Egyptians, he decreed that midwives kill all Hebrew boys at birth.
“Now a man of the house of Levi married a Levite woman, and she became pregnant and gave birth to a son. When she saw that he was a fine child, she hid him for three months. But when she could hide him no longer, she got a papyrus basket for him and coated it with tar and pitch. Then she placed the child in it and put it among the reeds along the bank of the Nile. His sister stood at a distance to see what would happen to him. Then Pharaoh's daughter went down to the Nile to bathe, and her attendants were walking along the riverbank. She saw the basket among the reeds and sent her slave girl to get it. She opened it and saw the baby. He was crying, and she felt sorry for him. ‘This is one of the Hebrew babies,’ she said Then his sister asked Pharaoh's daughter, ‘Shall I go and get one of the Hebrew women to nurse the baby for you?’ ‘Yes, go,’ she answered. And the girl got the baby's mother. Pharaoh's daughter said to her, ‘Take this baby and nurse him for me, and I will pay you.’ So, the woman took the baby and nursed him. When the child grew older, she took him to Pharaoh's daughter, and he became her son. She named him Moses, saying, ‘I drew him out of the water’” (Exodus 2:1-11 NIV).
As a mother, you have many opportunities to influence your child. Are you taking advantage of those few short years of your child’s life to make a positive, lasting contribution to the glory of God?
If you are mother of a child growing up in today’s world, you may wonder how much of an impact you are having on your child’s life. At times, the influence of teachers, peers, television, video games, and even the government may seem to be outweighing your influence.
Let’s look at the life of Jochebed (the Lord our Glory), the mother of Moses. She lived through an extremely difficult time. The Israelites were residing in the land of Goshen and grew as a thriving nation, but eventually became slaves to the Egyptians. By this time Goshen had become a ‘Hebrew ghetto’ housing the workers while they built treasure cities. Despite the history of the ghetto, it also became a haven for the children of Israel and kept them safe during the plagues. Because the Pharaoh feared the Israelites would outnumber the Egyptians, he decreed that midwives kill all Hebrew boys at birth.
“Now a man of the house of Levi married a Levite woman, and she became pregnant and gave birth to a son. When she saw that he was a fine child, she hid him for three months. But when she could hide him no longer, she got a papyrus basket for him and coated it with tar and pitch. Then she placed the child in it and put it among the reeds along the bank of the Nile. His sister stood at a distance to see what would happen to him. Then Pharaoh's daughter went down to the Nile to bathe, and her attendants were walking along the riverbank. She saw the basket among the reeds and sent her slave girl to get it. She opened it and saw the baby. He was crying, and she felt sorry for him. ‘This is one of the Hebrew babies,’ she said Then his sister asked Pharaoh's daughter, ‘Shall I go and get one of the Hebrew women to nurse the baby for you?’ ‘Yes, go,’ she answered. And the girl got the baby's mother. Pharaoh's daughter said to her, ‘Take this baby and nurse him for me, and I will pay you.’ So, the woman took the baby and nursed him. When the child grew older, she took him to Pharaoh's daughter, and he became her son. She named him Moses, saying, ‘I drew him out of the water’” (Exodus 2:1-11 NIV).
As a mother, you have many opportunities to influence your child. Are you taking advantage of those few short years of your child’s life to make a positive, lasting contribution to the glory of God?