I think about the Hebrew people coming out of Egypt. After all we just read it for Vigil services (Exodus 14). They are right at the Red Sea with the Egyptian army at their heels and the sea in front of them. "What have you done to us? Brought us out here to die? We would have been better off in Egypt."
I think we all have a bit of Hebrew in us at times. When faced with even the smallest thing we don't like we expect it to change. In this society with easy fixes we believe we should be allowed to have things change to our own way. Maybe some of that is steeped in our own belief we are all individuals who should be pleased in this consumer society.
Well, we miss the point when the waters part and the Hebrew people walk through to the other side. After all the text tells us this took a whole night before the waters parted. What other things do you think the Hebrew people said to Moses? Did some surrender to the Egyptians out of fear? Did they have any kind of growth because of this? Well, just a few chapters later we hear them complaining again about food, water, etc.
I do think they must have learned something. Because whenever we face a task we don't enjoy we may learn something. It may actually contribute to our own development of growth. If we truly allow ourselves to wrestle with it instead of quick fix it, we may find God is in the midst of all our complaining. He is there with us even when we forget. The other thing is it may open our perspective. We may finally stop thinking about just ourselves and realize how others feel or are affected, that we are amidst a community. Certainly as believers in Jesus we should realize this more often. Things we decide to do or not do affect the community of people around us. We are after all the Body of Christ in the world (Ephesians 4:15, 16) and part of the call to be transformed and not conformed to this world is that we are all learning (Romans 12:2).
If we accept this call and challenge to stop complaining and reassess our situation in light of a few questions maybe we could ask: Where is God in this? What is God calling me to do? Am I thinking of the larger community and not just myself? Maybe that would bring us to healing waters where we find we grow where we are planted. Not just us alone either, but maybe, just maybe we will realize the community of faith is also growing around us. Let us find and be planted near those holy waters.
I think we all have a bit of Hebrew in us at times. When faced with even the smallest thing we don't like we expect it to change. In this society with easy fixes we believe we should be allowed to have things change to our own way. Maybe some of that is steeped in our own belief we are all individuals who should be pleased in this consumer society.
Well, we miss the point when the waters part and the Hebrew people walk through to the other side. After all the text tells us this took a whole night before the waters parted. What other things do you think the Hebrew people said to Moses? Did some surrender to the Egyptians out of fear? Did they have any kind of growth because of this? Well, just a few chapters later we hear them complaining again about food, water, etc.
I do think they must have learned something. Because whenever we face a task we don't enjoy we may learn something. It may actually contribute to our own development of growth. If we truly allow ourselves to wrestle with it instead of quick fix it, we may find God is in the midst of all our complaining. He is there with us even when we forget. The other thing is it may open our perspective. We may finally stop thinking about just ourselves and realize how others feel or are affected, that we are amidst a community. Certainly as believers in Jesus we should realize this more often. Things we decide to do or not do affect the community of people around us. We are after all the Body of Christ in the world (Ephesians 4:15, 16) and part of the call to be transformed and not conformed to this world is that we are all learning (Romans 12:2).
If we accept this call and challenge to stop complaining and reassess our situation in light of a few questions maybe we could ask: Where is God in this? What is God calling me to do? Am I thinking of the larger community and not just myself? Maybe that would bring us to healing waters where we find we grow where we are planted. Not just us alone either, but maybe, just maybe we will realize the community of faith is also growing around us. Let us find and be planted near those holy waters.
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