Reading Genesis and now Exodus one of the things that is consistent is a history of and often a call by God to change. Sometimes change comes as a consequence of impulsive action motivated by desire or fear. Such as when Adam and Eve in their desire to be like God, chose to eat of the tree of good and evil and were kicked out of Eden (Genesis 3). Moses life changed when he fled to Midian after killing an Egyptian in anger. He feared that Pharaoh would kill him (Exodus 2:11-25).
Then his life changed again when he is commanded by God to leave his safe, predictable life as a member of Reuel’s family in Midian and lead the Hebrew people out of Egypt (Exodus 3-13). His initial response to God’s command is essentially one many of us have responded with, “Why me?”(Exodus 3:11). In that moment he is denying the reality of who God is and his relationship to the Hebrew people.
He is making it a me thing, when it is a we thing. Change never occurs in isolation. God is present, family is present and his people are present. My own experience mirrors this. When I am attentive to God’s will and the presence of his Holy Spirit, stay mindful of my role in the family, and accept the help and counsel of the people he has surrounded me with, change occurs for the good. When I seek to handle change through my own will and devices, it is rarely fruitful and often hurtful to me and those around me. I have learned to accept the “we” over the “me.”
Reflections by Bob Kling