Tomorrow I turn 21.
In all honesty, that’s kind of daunting.
Tomorrow I enter into the "grown-up" world. (Not that twenty-one is all that grown up anyway…)
Yet, it’s still a daunting thought. I’m (dare I say it?) just a little scared.
You know, this reminds me of some advice I shared with the second years from CMF at the beginning of their dissection block. It pretty much represents my thinking on this topic. So, in the spirit of "practice what you preach, Renate" I’m going to share it with you and hope that by so doing I knock it into my own thick skull.
Part of what makes dissection block so intimidating is all the rumours and stories about it. From Day One of med school, everybody hears how tough this block is.
I remember wondering if I would be able to make it through the seven weeks without having a nervous breakdown or something! Would I be able to cope with the workload? The emotional baggage? The long hours?
I didn’t think I was up for the task…
This is why dissection block always makes me think of Moses.
So, here’s Moses, wandering around in the desert with his bunch of sheep, and he comes across this burning bush that’s not burning up! And that’s not all – out of the bush, God speaks to him! He tells Moses that it’s his job to go speak to Pharaoh so that the Israelites can leave Egypt and travel to the promised land.
But Moses is scared and overwhelmed. Just like us, he doesn’t think he’s up for the job. He makes excuses.
So God gives him some signs. His staff becomes a snake, his hand becomes leprous and the water of the Nile becomes blood when poured out on the ground.
Yet, Moses is still frightened, so he makes another excuse.
And amazingly, God is patient. He promises Moses that He will go with his mouth and teach him what to speak.
Still Moses avoids the issue. He’s still looking for a way out! Eventually he bluntly says: “Oh my Lord, please send someone else.”
Now, I don’t know about you, but if a burning, speaking bush with God inside it told me to go do something, I would say “Yes Sir” and go do it! I wouldn’t push my luck trying to avoid the job!
Yet, Moses’ fear of the job overrides his fear of the burning bush and God! He must have been pretty scared…
What I find really amazing about Moses, though, is the fact that, once the Lord had organised Aaron to speak for him, he got on with it and did the job. Together with Aaron, he went and spoke to the Pharaoh. He lead the Israelites out of Egypt. He crossed the Red Sea as God held open the waters. He was used by god to perform miracles. He became the leader of a bitter, disobedient people. That doesn’t sound like a walk in the park to me!
Isn’t it incredible how Moses changed from a scared, tongue-tied young man into a leader of an entire nation, and a man of God!
Listen to what God says about Moses in Hebrews 11:23-29. “
And then, only a couple of verses later, we are told to follow his example! (Heb 12:1+2)
God gave Moses miracles and promises when He sent Moses out to do his job.
And God has given us the miracle of Jesus Christ the author and perfecter of our faith, who endured the cross for us.
He’s given us promises: He will not let us be stretched beyond what we can bear… He hasn’t given us a spirit of fear, but of love, power and of sound mind… He will never leave us, nor forsake us… With my Lord, I can scale a mountain, I can jump a wall… They who wait on the Lord will renew their strength, they will mount up with wings like eagles… He is my light and my salvation, whom shall I fear?
Yes, the Lord puts tasks in our way that sometimes look overwhelming.
But He also gives us the assurance that we don’t have to do it alone.
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