Courage

Courage

Then the baby’s sister approached the princess. “Should I go and find one of the Hebrew women to nurse the baby for you?” she asked.

Exodus 2:7

Courage is found not only in older people but also in young people. Consider Miriam, the sister of Moses. Moses’ mother, Jochebed, decided to do a very bold thing. In order to protect Moses from being killed by Pharaoh’s soldiers, she wove some reeds into a small basket. Perhaps Miriam wondered what her mother was making—until she found out that the basket would cradle her baby brother as he floated down the river. Miriam probably watched her mother weep as she kissed her infant son and laid him in the basket, putting it into the water. I can only wonder what Miriam thought and felt as she stood on the riverbank, watching from a distance.

You know the rest of the story. Pharaoh’s daughter found the baby when she went to the river to bathe, and Miriam ran to her, asking if she should find a Hebrew mother (her own!) to nurse the baby. What a brave thing for a child to do. The courage she exercised as a young girl no doubt prompted her own growth in faith. Imagine all the times that she and Jochebed must have rehearsed that story together through the years. Later in the book of Exodus we read that Miriam led the children of Israel in a song of praise after their miraculous crossing of the Red Sea.

It’s often painful for mothers to sit back and watch their children struggle through difficult situations. We would much rather protect them from pain or risk. But as we see in Miriam, courage can spring from childhood difficulties, resulting in personal faith and leadership down the road.

Father,

When we know or sense that our children are struggling with some difficulty, please give us great wisdom as moms to know how much to guide them, how much or how little to say, and when to stand back and wait to see you work in their hearts and lives. Amen.