Did you ever witness something you would normally soon forget but something or a little voice (God's perhaps?) says, "Pay attention, dummy, this is important!"? A few months ago this happened when I was watching a comedy show on TV. Comedy isn't my usual genre but this show is special.
In the show, Pastor Jeff (honestly that's the character's name) is teaching a Sunday school class of 13 year olds. The subject is the story about baby Moses being placed in a basket by his mother and floated down the river. A girl asks why a mother would do that.
Pastor Jeff, who is trying to present only the G rated parts of the story, fumbles for an answer.
The girl's much brainier twin brother has already read the Bible from cover to cover and concluded that he's an atheist. He pipes up and explains to the class that Moses' mother is trying to prevent her son from being killed along with the other Jewish male babies the Pharaoh is having killed. Pastor Jeff groans.
What if the story of Moses ended with him being found and adopted by the Pharaoh's daughter. Happy, happy but what would be the point? Or if it ended with murder of baby boys. Sad with too much gratuitous violence. However the story continues to see Moses free his people from slavery. Then comes the downer when they wander in the wilderness for 40 years before finding the promised land. Moses doesn't even get to enter the promised land with them. Lots of ups and downs in this story but that is what makes it a worthwhile story about keeping the faith.
This is an example of how so much of the Bible contains the good and the bad. It reminds us that there will always be uncomfortable truths in our lives. Our faith demands that we look at all of it not just the comfortable parts. Frequently a problem that seems insurmountable works out in the end. Also, if something tells you to pay attention, do it and reflect on the message contained there.
Image by Enlightening Images from Pixabay
