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Morton Church of Christ |
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Tree
Shaker ( Ex.20:18-21 What rattles your cage,
shakes your tree, unsettles your foot and foundation? Likely we
each have our own tolerances and our own limitations. Moses had
his, as well so did every other Character of old. We each build our world
around us so that we can survive. We each set parameters or
boundaries by which we judge the events of our day and by these
we either remain calm or experience some level of stress.
Depending upon the level of stress we experience has an
effect upon our physiological well being. (stress in varying
degrees has a wide range of effects on our emotions, our body
chemistry, our
thoughts and our actions) As we go through our
daily lives we make basic adjustment in an attempt to keep
everything within the boundaries we perceive to be acceptable.
(our normal) This vision we hold, that inner perception of
ourselves and the world we live in, rests in a delicate balance.
Moses gives us some examples of his own attempt to maintain
balance. Exodus 2:11-15 in this
text can we gain some insight into Moses’ self perception and
his choices to maintain balance. ·
What did Moses see
himself as? ·
Did the event
described in verse 11 have an effect on Moses? How? ·
What did Moses do in
reaction to the stressors so that harmony with his self
perception might be regained? ·
Was harmony achieved
or did new stressors arise out of the dust of his choices? (cause
and effect) Part of Moses’ stress
came from false or inaccurate information about himself. He
believed his position was that of rescuer of his people, his kin,
but he did not yet have the right to that place nor was his means
proper. Exodus 4:10-13 In these
verses we can again see Moses trying to regulate the stressors in
his life. ·
What is Moses’
perception of himself at this point in life? (prince of ·
What are the things
that are upsetting the harmony of his self-image? ·
What contributed to
the lessoning of stress? Exodus 33:12-16 In
these verses we once again witness Moses trying to keep a balance
between his world view and the world they live in. For Moses this
balance now depended upon God’s powerful presence to keep the
scales level. In our own interlocking
lives as the family of God that we are, we too seek to maintain
balance. What we learn from Moses is that the vision of self and
our place in the scheme of life can sometimes be off mark. The
solution is the same for us as it was for Moses and the
Israelites, seek to be in God’s vision for the who and what and
where and when and how of our existence. By humbly submitting to
the Lord Jesus in each of our lives, seeking from Him our
identities, our purposes, and our direction we can achieve
harmony and balance in life. Balance and harmony are not kept by
being doing nothing, like riding a bicycle, balance is dependent
upon forward motion. We too, collectively, have this lives’
riddle. The solution is found in Jesus our Lord and God. May He
be glorified this day and every day in us. |