Choice

By faith Moses, when he was born, was hidden for three months by his parents, because they saw that the child was beautiful, and they were not afraid of the king’s edict. – Hebrews 11:23 ESV

Greek
ἀστεῖον/asteion: beautiful, elegant, unique

Why It Matters
Italian restaurateur Massimo Bottura is widely accepted as one of the best chefs in the world. His three Michelin-starred Osteria Francescana restaurant is known for its high-end reimagined Italian food, and people have been known to travel across the globe solely for a meal there. However, their signature dessert, “Oops! I Dropped The Lemon Tart” was (as you could probably guess) born from an accident. Bottura’s Sous Chef once dumped the dessert in the kitchen, but instead of getting angry or causing heads to roll, Bottura saw the result of the spill and found beauty in it. From then on, his restaurant has served the tart broken and fragmented on the plate. Culinary experts and food critics universally praise the dish as even more aesthetically pleasing, providing a unique experience for the senses.
When Moses’ parents decided to defy the edict of the Egyptian government and hide their baby, they did so fearlessly. Hebrews says this is because they saw that Moses was asteion (beautiful and unique; out of the ordinary). Today, it’s culturally understood that all babies are beautiful, and hopefully, every parent sees their child as unique. But for his parents, there was something about Moses that made risking their lives and standing up to an oppressive regime a no-brainer. Their dreams for their family must have been shattered, but they knew life could be asteion where others just saw the ordinary.
It takes real faith to hold fast to the hope that God will bring beauty from brokenness. In the middle of it, there’s often a sense of confusion and pain that the vision of your preferred future has been fractured. But the faith that sees through this reality to the asteion truth of God’s creative potential is a gift that is given by God in the brokenness. It goes against the grain of the world around us. Through the lens of faith, we can see an asteion hope where others see a broken dessert, a broken dream, or a broken life. Thank God for this gift that helps us navigate this imperfect world.

Prayer
God, I pray for the kind of faith that lets me see life from a unique point of view. I’m certainly not satisfied with a commonplace vision for the world you’ve placed me in, but I also recognize the pull that this world has on me at times. I offer you my life in faith, knowing that I’m both safe in your arms and in a position to experience a remarkable journey.

Application
What will I act on today because God is leading me?