A Magnolia's Heart Beats

Today's In "other" Words" Tuesday is hosted by Miriam Pauline at Miriam Pauline's Monologue. Please be sure to visit and see what others had to say regarding the quote she has chosen for today and participate as well.

Believing God propels us to move forward, into a saving relationship with Him. Once under His covenant of grace, we make the decision to live our lives for Him, no turning back. But once we've lived our lives in the faith, we find sometimes that God has called us back in order to push us forward.

Moses was born of a Levite woman. His heritage was rich in the faith in the Almighty God, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob; however, he did not grow up in the faith. To avoid the death of her son, his mother placed him into a basket and he wound up being given back to her only for a short time, until he was weaned. From a very young age, he was raised in the palace of the Pharaoh of Egypt by the Pharaoh's own daughter, who had found him those years ago in the very basket his mother sent him down the river in. The years went by, and while we don't know exactly how or when he found out his true heritage, at some point he did.

"One day, after Moses had grown up, he went out to where his own people were and watched them at their hard labor. He saw an Egyptian beating a Hebrew, one of his own people." ~ Exodus 2:11

I believe at that moment he was moved by the mistreatment of his fellow man. Unfortunately, he was so outraged at the abuse, he killed an Egyptian man that very day. He couldn't stay away, and went back the next day. He realized what he had done had been seen by at least one, if not two, other Hebrew men. His own men. And they mocked him for killing the Egyptian.

Driven out of the land at age 40 by Pharaoh's attempt to kill him, Moses ran through the desert and ended up in Midian. He married and became a shepherd for his father-in-law. He spent the next 40 years knocking around the desert, probably having a lot of time to think about who he was, where he came from, and Whose he was.

The Father knew who He was. He had a great plan for His life, and got his attention through a burning bush. Exodus 3 tells the compelling story of God's talk with Moses.....sending him back. He gave Moses a (terrifying?) command.

"So now, go. I am sending you to Pharaoh to bring my people the Israelites out of Egypt." ~ Exodus 3:10

But He followed up with some great reassurance.

"And God said, "I will be with you. And this will be the sign to you that it is I who have sent you: When you have brought the people out of Egypt, you will worship God on this mountain." ~ Exodus 3:12

Whatever God calls us to go back to, even if it seems frightening, we can be assured that the same God who was with Moses will be with us.

I have sensed God calling me back to something and through this quote and God reminding me to read about Moses, I feel it has been affirmed. My knees are knocking and there's great risk involved. More emotional risk than physical, but it's time to put myself back out there and return. Because He said so.

"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you." ~ Jeremiah 29:11-12

Am I willing to take the risk, though? Am I willing to go back? Believing God the way I do, I know He would never call me back to do something that would harm me, but I've been wounded "back" before. I believe God's best for me, though, and will follow His plans for my life.

"Then Jesus said to his disciples, "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will find it." ~ Matthew 16:24-25

When God asks us to go back, sometimes it is so we can go forward. I'll get my courage up and trust in Him, taking up my cross and following Him back where I'm supposed to go. Please pray for me as I go "back". I need to go back, because although it's not vital to my Christian walk and relationship with God, it's something that will nurture it and will definitely help me grow spiritually, unless I'm wounded again. You can tell I'm scared, LOL! But I'm going to trust God in this.