What’s In Your Basket?
By Dot Bowen
When she saw that he was a fine child, she hid him for three months. Exodus 2:2 (NIV)
“Don’t put all your eggs in one basket” is a quote I have heard all my life. Maybe you have never heard this expression or cared what would happen if you put all your eggs in a basket, but I had to find out! Apart from Easter I have never put eggs in a basket, but I wondered what would happen if I did. I decided to search for the meaning of this quote and this is what I found: ”This is a piece of advice which 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, my mind immediately goes to the story of Moses. Moses’ mom, Jochebed, had faith that was nothing short of amazing! In Exodus 2, we are told about the oppression of the Israelites; many of them had been enslaved. If life wasn’t hard enough for the Israelites, an order was issued to kill all the baby boys and throw them in the Nile River. Jochebed had given birth to Moses and hid him until it was too risky to keep him with her. 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. I believe God gave her a creative way of beating the system, or at least attempting to do so. She made a basket, put Moses in it and placed him in the Nile River. As she placed her baby boy in this basket, she had to trust God to spare his life. There were no guarantees that Moses would be rescued, but she had to take a chance and let him go in attempt to save him. 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 in front of her eyes?
As I thought about this, I realized that I had only concentrated on how God used Moses and not how God had used his mother. I began to think about the faith required by Jochebed to place Moses in the river. It wasn’t long before my focus shifted to thoughts about myself as a mom. I wondered what I might have done in her situation. I immediately began to think of all that I hold dear: my family, friends, ministry, finances, health and even all my hopes and dreams for my children. And then I felt a tug in my heart asking, “Would I be willing to put everything I love in a basket and give it to God?” All of a sudden, a flood of “what ifs” flooded my mind. What if I gave everything I held dear to God? Would God take and never give again?
I found myself upset about questioning God’s goodness and fearful that God wouldn’t take care of the very things He had given to me. I began to pray and read about Jochebed and how she trusted God by taking what she loved most—her son—and giving him to God. 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 as a mom 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—all my dreams, all my hopes, my family, my finances, my 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! The freedom of giving was greater than the fear of holding on.
As you might remember, God actually 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! What’s in your basket?
REFLECT
- Reflect on what you love the most throughout the day.
- What are your hopes and dreams for yourself, the people you love, and your family or friends?
RESPOND
- Are you willing to release all your hopes, dreams, and everyone you love and give them to God?
- Pray this prayer:
- God, I give ____________ (fill in the blank) back to You. Their life today is totally in Your hands, and I trust You with ____________. Father, I give You my blessings, and I will let ____________ go. In Jesus’ name and in His love.Now say the same prayer for your hopes, dreams, and the expectations you have feared losing, and ask God to give you the desire to let go and allow Him to give you His dream for you.