When she saw that he was a fine child, she hid him for three months. Exodus 2:2 (NIV)
All my life, I have heard the quote, “Don’t put all your eggs in one basket.” According to the dictionary, this phrase means that “one should not concentrate all efforts and resources in one area as one could lose everything.”
When I think about someone putting everything in a basket, I think about the story of Moses. Moses’ mom, Jochebed, had faith that was amazing! Exodus 2 tells about the oppression of the Israelites; many of them had been enslaved. And, if life wasn’t hard enough, an order was issued to kill all their baby boys and throw them in the Nile River.
After Jochebed had given birth to Moses, it was too risky to keep him with her, so she was faced with a decision. She could try to keep Moses by hiding him or she could throw him in the Nile River and trust God for the safety of his life. But God gave her a creative solution: she made a basket, then put Moses in it and carefully placed him in the Nile River. There were no guarantees that he would be rescued; she had to trust God to spare his life. Can you imagine the fear that gripped Jochebed as she watched her little boy float down the river without knowing if someone would rescue him or if he would die?
As I thought about the faith required by Jochebed to place Moses in the river, I also thought about my role as a mother. I wondered what I might have done in her situation. I immediately considered all that I hold dear: my family, friends, ministry, finances, health—and my hopes and dreams for my children. And then I felt a tug in my heart: Would I be willing to put everything I love in a basket and give it to God? Suddenly, “what ifs” flooded my mind, including, What if I gave everything I held dear to God? Would He take and never give again?
I believe Jochebed realized she had two options with the same outcome. If she kept Moses with her, she risked losing him. If she let Moses go, she risked losing him. She realized that Moses was created for God not her—and that’s when I realized that there is always a risk of losing. Our only hope is to give everything we love to God and let Him be responsible for the outcome. I felt God nudge my heart and ask me to visualize a basket with everything I love in it: my dreams, hopes, family, finances, dreams for ministry—and give it to Him and allow Him to take responsibility for the outcome. What freedom I felt when I realized that everything I love is not my responsibility but God’s!
As you may remember, God gave Moses back to his mother for a few years, and she was able to nurse him and care for him. What an unbelievable answer to Jochebed’s prayer! God uses what we put in our basket to grow our trust in Him as He prepares to use us for His glory!
