Learning from Moses (1)

The life of Moses reveals four issues you must come to grips with in order to succeed in life. First: you must know who you are. ‘Moses, when he had grown up, refused to be known as the son of Pharaoh’s daughter.’ Moses was born a Hebrew, but he was raised as an Egyptian by Pharaoh’s daughter. Even though Moses was groomed as a prince in Pharaoh’s kingdom, God called him to confront his adopted family and free His people and lead them out of Egypt. So, he had to make a choice: ‘What am I going to do with my life? I’m not who these people think I am.’ Moses had every comfort he could wish for in the palace, and he could have stayed there.

What would you have done? Moses made the right decision, but it meant spending the next 80 years of his life in the desert. Every one of us must come to grips with our identity. We all have a deep need and desire to accept who we are. Trying to be who we’re not is a quick way to get an ulcer, because it puts us under so much pressure. Moses recognised this tension, and decided to stop pretending. It’s liberating when we stop trying to be somebody we’re not, and accept God’s plan for our life.

How would we remember Moses today if he had stayed in Pharaoh’s court? Maybe as an Egyptian mummy in some museum—or maybe not at all. But he made the hard decision, and in the light of eternity it was the best one. Learn from him!