Her Basket, Your Basket

Then she put the child in it and laid it among the rushes by the brink of the river.

—Exodus 2:3b

 

Jochebed. Not a common name. Not a familiar name. But Moses, that’s a different story.  

Actually it’s not.  

Recently I saw the Sight & Sound performance of Moses, which opened with the story of Jochebed, Moses’ mother. While the bible does not tell us much of her story, Sight & Sound  brings forth a creative—and convincing—portrayal of what might have been. 

Kneeling at the riverside, Jochebed places three-month-old Moses in the basket that she has woven of bulrushes and waterproofed with pitch (Exodus 2:3a). All part of her plan—God’s plan—to save her beautiful baby boy (Exodus 2:2) from Pharaoh’s plan of extinction (Exodus 1). Pushing the basket into the current, Jochebed collapses into sobs.  

And my heart breaks for her. 

How long did it take her to weave the basket?  How many times did her waterproofing efforts fail? How did she come up with such a brilliant plan in the first place—and how could she be so bold as to act upon it? But how could she not? 

Certainly God was in this story.  Certainly He imparted supernatural knowledge to Jochebed of His divine plan for Moses’ life, for the book of Exodus tells us that “she saw that he was [exceedingly] beautiful” (2:2). And Acts 7:20 adds that he was exceedingly beautiful in God’s sight. God had a plan for Moses and He gave Jochebed the strength to carry out the “first scene” (Hebrews 11:23). 

Which one of us, who are mothers or fathers, could not say that our children are beautiful? Which one of us has not gazed into the eyes of our sweet newborn and wondered what he might become? And which one of us would not do everything in our power to protect the life of our child? 

What's in our heart is revealed by the work of our hands. Jochebed’s love for Moses was shown in every strip she wove. In and out. Up and down. And all the while, I know she prayed. God, help me to make a strong basket. Make it waterproof. May it carry my precious baby to Your desired destination. And God, give me the strength to let him go when it’s time. 

The same is true for us. Up and down we go throughout the night with a newborn. In and out of the house we take our kids to school and soccer games and dance lessons. Every braid we weave, every shoe we lace, and every time we intertwine our fingers in prayer is a testament to our love. 

But the true testament of our love is letting them go, so that they may become all that God has planned. And sometimes that is the hardest part. Pushing them into the current of life. And trusting God. 

Jochebed did all that she could—all that was in her power. The rest of the story was up to God.  

When we have done all that we can—in parenthood and in whatever we place our hands to, we must trust God to do the rest. We must place all our prayers and hopes and dreams and doubts and fears in the basket and give it a push. And just as Jochebed did not have second thoughts and run after the basket, chasing it downstream, so must we.  

Push it toward God and let it go. Trust Him to do the miracle. 

Dear Lord, no matter how old my children may grow to be, I will never cease weaving my prayers and hopes and dreams for them. Lord, I do want to see Your will come to fruition in their lives, but sometimes I want to chase that basket downstream.  Please help me to take hands off, knowing they are safe in Your strong loving hands. May I relax and enjoy the show, their story unfolding before my very eyes. Amen.