More Than a MommyНамуна

Sacrifice. As Moms, we could write best-selling novels on what it means to sacrifice! We sacrifice our time, our privacy, our careers, and sometimes even our dreams. Even though it pains us to sacrifice our identities, I think it's safe to say that most of us wouldn't change a thing as we look daily at the precious fruits of our labor. 

Our Biblical Mama of the Day is Jochebed, mother of Moses. As a quick summary, the Egyptian Pharaoh (ruler)  had grown increasingly uncomfortable with the rising population of Israelites in the land. His plan of attack, in order to decrease the power and size of the Israelites, was to literally kill every male baby born as soon as the mother delivered. A complete monster. God graciously guided the midwives under Pharaoh's heinous orders and helped them to protect the babies who were born during this time, but even their attempts weren't enough to stop his evil plan in entirety. Jochebed gave birth to Moses during this time and though she was able to hide him for three months (I always wonder how in the world she hid the cries of a newborn for so long, by the way) she knew that she had an incredibly difficult decision to make.

Ultimately, she decided to have faith in God's protective covering and placed Moses in a basket in a stream of water. The story could have ended tragically there. But Jochebed operated in the wisdom of motherhood and devised a plan that would allow Moses to be found by a compassionate maiden who delivered the baby to the hands of Pharoah's daughter and hired Jochebed as his "nurse". When he was older, Moses was adopted by Pharoah's daughter and lived as royalty, until fateful events led him to become the voice of God's people as they fought for their freedom from the Egyptians.

I encourage you to read the full story featured in today's reading, but this moment in history gives us great insight into what it means to trust God completely as we operate in purpose as mothers. Jochebed had no proof that her attempt to save her baby would result in the ending of hundreds of years of bondage for the Israelites. Operating in purpose as mothers requires a crazy level of faith! Because of her "yes" to God's nudging, Jochebed created an everlasting legacy that changed the trajectory of a whole nation! That's why it's so important to understand that the ministry of motherhood is DEFINITELY part of God's purpose. He chose us to carry out this mission! I'm not sure if Jochebed was able to witness the full result of her sacrificial moment of obedience by placing baby Moses in the river, but we can certainly allow her act of courage to inspire us as we plant seeds of sacrifice daily in the name of Motherhood! 

As you read and reflect on today's Word, put yourself in the shoes of Jochebed. Though we may not be charged with a sacrifice as huge as placing our newborn in a crocodile-ridden river in efforts to save his life, I encourage you to think of sacrifices you have made in the name of motherhood. Allow yourself to rest in the example set before us in the story of Jochebed. Our sacrifices may look like they are diminishing our purpose as women and mothers, but God has so much more for our legacy in store if we continue to put our trust in Him.