Raising Children is not a Waste of Time
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Moses.
He was “very meek, more than all the people on the earth.” (Numbers 12:3) He spoke with God “face to face, clearly and not in riddles” and he saw the “form of the Lord.” (Numbers 12:7-8) And Moses was “mighty in his words and deeds.” (Acts 7:22) He climbed to the top of a thundering mountain to receive stone that God himself had written on.
And yet, he started off as a baby. Probably one that cried. And made dirty diapers. And drooled. What an incredible thing it must have been to be Jochebed. Because, after all, who takes care of babies? Their families–especially mothers.
Whose is the first voice to sing a song about Jehovah to a child wrapped and formed in the womb? Who is the first to point out the blue skies and the birds that sing? Whose voice is the first to speak sweetly and softly? Who is the first to teach the gentle, incredible, yet all encompassing and demanding love of Christ?
Sometimes we have this mistaken idea that caring for babies is sub-par. That it is not a worthwhile endeavor or at least one that is beneath a driven or talented parent. Society tells us that choosing to make raising children our primary focus is a waste of time.
And yet, I ask you…
Growing up in Pharaoh’s palace, as the son of Pharaoh’s daughter, who taught Moses about the one true God? How did he learn about the God with true power?
Whose hands held him and quieted him for three months, hiding him from angry Egyptians? Whose deft fingers coated a basket with pitch to make it buoyant enough to float down a river in faith? Who spoke up bravely to royalty? Who brought home a newly royal baby and nursed him?
As a mother (or father or sibling–the list goes on) who cares for a little one, you may not have encouragement or reward. You may not earn fame or a promotion. Your salary may not have a cost of living raise.
But don’t think for a second that your time is wasted. You have the most important role that God could place in your hands–that of teaching another about the love of Christ. And there is nothing more eternally important than that.
