One crisp November afternoon I was on a walk along a path that followed a river enjoying the East Coast’s autumn season.  Halfway through the walk, I was drawn to a lady who was wading in the river cleaning up garbage that was thrown into it. I asked her what she was doing, and after explaining her heart to leave this place better than she found it, she saw a piece of paper near my foot.  She asked if I could pick it up and hand it to her.  When I picked it up, I realized that this white piece of paper laying on the side of the river as trash was an ultrasound photo.

It really took me by surprise… what is this doing here? The date says 2008…is this something that was lost or intentionally discarded? The story of how this ultrasound photo ended up along in the reeds among the river bank will forever remain a mystery.  But it made me immediately think of the story of Moses.

Moses was not conceived in the United States in 2008, but somewhere in Egypt around 1392 B.C.  What was going on back then? Well, for someone like Moses who came from a Hebrew background and was not an Egyptian native, it meant he was destined to be a slave to his host nation for his entire life. Despite the bitter and hard service he was destined to live, this did not stop Moses’ mother from choosing to give him life. 

But, at the time of Moses’ birth, the king of Egypt decided that all the males born to Hebrew women were to be killed at birth, in fear that the Hebrews would one day rise up and form an army against Egypt. It was no longer in Moses’ mother’s hands to choose life for her son, but up to the governing authorities to decide for her.  But because the ones who were actually “on the field” delivering the babies chose to let the boys live despite the commands from their king, Moses was born.

These Egyptian midwives lied to their king, risking their lives at worst, or livelihoods at best, in order to preserve the lives of these Hebrew boys.  Even though from a governmental perspective they should’ve been punished, God blessed them and gave them families of their own. This is one example of how God’s ways are higher than the ways of kings and rulers of the earth.

After Moses was born, his mother hid him from her neighbors who would try to drown him in the Nile River, based on Pharaoh’s command.  When it was no longer possible to hide him, out of desperation and some glimmer of hope in this dire circumstance, she put him in a basket and placed it among the reeds of the riverbank.  She chose to give him up in hopes that somehow he could have a life, against all the odds.

It just so happened that the unlikeliest of persons is the one who found him: the Pharaoh’s daughter herself.  She of all people had the right and the position to report this to her father, kill this baby, and crack down even harder on the Hebrew mothers. But instead, she had compassion.  

Moses’ sister followed along and watched this entire encounter, and was bold enough to show her face and speak up to this powerful woman.  Because she chose to speak up, Pharaoh’s daughter agreed to send Moses back to his own mother to be nursed.  A fate that this mother could in no way even dream of.

As sad as it must’ve been to let go of her son again, Moses’ mother could rest knowing that Moses was not only alive, but being taken care of in the King’s palace. Pharaoh’s daughter chose a name for him and called Moses her own son. And therefore Moses grew up under the shadow of the King, against all the odds that were stacked against him.

Now why am I writing this story out and what does it have to do with anyone living in the US in 2022? Well, I can’t help but think about all this controversy going on regarding the overturning of Roe v. Wade this past June.  And with it, more and more hostility and division amongst those of different viewpoints and opinions on this topic of pro-life vs. pro-choice.

I am not going to pretend to be interested in politics, or well-versed on all things going on in the news on both ends.  But I know that there are people on one hand who are hurt, scared, angry, and becoming hopeless on one end, and on the other hand people who are celebrating, excited, and feel a sense of victory. 

I’m not here to share my opinion or to choose sides, but to share the truth of God’s nature and character.  He is a God of life.  But he also gives us free choice.   The entirety of the Bible shows us that God has been pleading with humanity to choose Him from the very beginning.  And to choose Him is to choose life, because He is the creator of life itself. But choosing life with Him based on love, not based on obligation or law.  Because otherwise it’s not truly a choice, and neither is it love.  Because love requires choice. 

However, we can’t really choose to love God, without first experiencing His love for us ourselves. We can only love Him with the heart understanding of His first love for us.  This comes with the revelation that Jesus was sent to earth from a loving heavenly father who wants His children to know they are His children and how much He loves them. That He created them for a relationship with Him. Nothing on this earth can ever bring you true fulfilment, joy and satisfaction above a relationship with your Creator.

One way that I have personally come to know, not just in my head, but in my heart, the love of God for me specifically, is through my fingerprint.  There is no other me out there in the world.  Same goes for you.  I have a unique identity, DNA, personality, set of interests, year I was born, gifts/ talents, family line that I was created with – and so do you.  And when is this DNA and identity formed? In my mother’s womb.  It doesn’t matter if it was planned or not.  That’s when, where, and how God chose me to be born.

Every person is created uniquely, intricately and intentionally by God.  He has an original design and plan for each one of our lives.  He turns hopeless situations into ones of victory and overcoming. But it is our choice to walk it out. Just like Moses had the odds stacked against him, often times we have to walk through adversity, trials, and training in order to truly live out who God designed us to.

Sometimes, however, our destinies are subject to the choices of others.  Such as the choice of the midwives to disregard and lie to their king; Moses’s mother ‘s choice to give up her child; and Moses’ sister’s choice to step up and speak up at an opportune time.  Because of all their choices, Moses lived and turned out to be the one who delivered his entire people group out of slavery by the Egyptians. He did have to choose to say yes to God’s plan for his life for himself, but he wouldn’t have had the opportunity to do that if it weren’t for the choices of those three women who advocated for his life when he couldn’t choose for himself.

Now the overturning of Roe V. Wade has enabled each state to choose what they want to do about abortion.  And whether or not a state chooses to make abortions illegal, I truly hope that people in both pro-choice and pro-life camps begin to choose life.  To begin to understand that choosing life is choosing God’s way, and His ways are so much higher and better than our ways. We did not create ourselves, nor did we create this earth. There is no hope in humanity alone to reconcile divided parties, create a just society, or bring peace to this world by choosing our own ways. 

However, there is hope in JESUS, who chooses to work in and through us broken, divided, hurting humans to bring the Kingdom of God from heaven to earth.  The kingdom of God brings peace in the midst of chaos and war; love where there was once hate; hope to the desperate and hopeless; joy regardless of circumstance; patience to withstand hardships and difficult people; kindness  and goodness where strife and anger are the norm; and faithfulness even to the most unlikely of people. Choosing life is much more than what the physical world displays.  Choosing life begins with choosing Jesus. 

My hope and my prayer that anyone reading this who has not chosen to accept Jesus into their hearts chooses to do so today.  Simply by admitting to yourself and to Him that your ways are not better than His ways. To invite Him to come into your heart and to show you His perfect love for you and His perfect will for your life.  This also goes for those who have already chosen to accept Jesus, but maybe need a reminder of His perfect love and will for your life. I know I often think that my ways are better than God’s ways, even when I’ve seen God move powerfully in my life.  So I am not excluded from this prayer.

Thank you for reading this, and may God bless you with abundant life that has a ripple effect to those all around you, in Jesus’ name!

Xoxo

Carol