And there it lay on the Frankfurt airport floor.
I’m 4 feet 11. Yes, Jesus is in favor of little ones, but I can’t blame the angels for snickering the day I was pulling two suitcases half my size through that airport.
Before boarding my plane, I managed to haul myself to the food court. I ordered. I paid. Instantly my fingers groped for the suitcases at my side. In an airport, you never leave your luggage unattended.
The tray with my ‘deep dish goodness’ was ready. Then the young lady reached her arms out to hand it to me. Only then did I realize, “I need more hands!”
Wearing an S on my chest, I attempted to grab it all at once. In the midst of my salsa dance, there it flew in slow motion: my double-chocolate toped ice cream, right to the feet of a boy next to me.
A kind soul then asked “Can I lend you a hand, ma’am?”
“Yes please!”
All I needed was an extra hand.
In Exodus, Moses was in transit too. His hands were busy hauling an entire nation from Egypt to Canaan.
One way to keep things afloat for the Israelites was for Moses to serve as judge for the entire nation sorting out conflicts of all sizes: S, M, XL. Because there was not enough daylight to deal with over 600,000 men, the people hung around him from morning till evening. (It’s no wonder Moses sent his wife and kids to her folks. )
Upon their return, Jethro, his father-in-law, saw that Moses sat alone, while others stood around. He knew that Moses needed extra hands. So he spoke up.
Before doing so: Jethro listened to Moses, celebrated with Moses, shared meals with Moses, worshipped together with Moses, watched Moses and then he asked questions before making suggestions.
“When his father-in-law saw all that Moses was doing for the people, he said, ‘What is this you are doing for the people? Why do you alone sit as judge, while all these people stand around you from morning till evening?’ “
Being a ‘Jethro’ to someone else takes time to be in tune with the Lord and with your homework.
A ‘Jethro’ asks questions before making suggestions.
A ‘Jethro’ speaks from his facts, not from his guts.
A ‘Jethro’ first connects, then presents.
A ‘Jethro’ sees the need, and states the solution.
On the other hand, Moses responded great to this unsolicited advice, “Well done Moses!”. He found wisdom in the words of his father-in-law and he applied them.
Some days I feel the Moses in me, my hands are full doing the job of a thousand men all alone from morning till evening. At least that’s how I feel. Unlike Moses, I get defensive when others voice their suggestions when they observe the glitches in my life.
Being a ‘Moses’ means being a learner, being discerning, being humble, and willing to implement someone else’s great ideas.
One day my youngest tells me:
Youngest: Mommy, I’m not feeling good.
Me: What’s wrong sweetheart?
Youngest: When I wiggle my head like this, it feels funny!
Me: Well, stop wiggling it!
Sometimes we need an outsider to tell us to stop wiggling our head, just as Jethro did with Moses. Yet, remember, it only works when willingness to speak up meets with diligence to apply.
Verse: “Moses listened to his father-in-law and did everything he said.” Exodus 18:24