Wednesday 17th July,
2019. Exodus 3:1-6, 9-12, Psalm 69 and Matthew 11:25-27)_
_*“Moses said to
God, ‘Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh, and bring the sons of Israel out of
Egypt?’” (Exodus 3:11)*_
Moses
asked God a very familiar question, a question you may have asked yourself
several times; “who am I that I should accomplish so and so…?” We all have this
fear lurking deep within us that makes us question our self-worth especially
when we are faced with a particular task or come across a superb idea. Who am I
to write a book? Who am I to start a company from scratch? Who am I to think of
becoming the president, the boss or the leader of my organization? Who am I to
stop these killings in my country today? Who am I to compete with such talent/brilliance
or skill? Who am I to effect change in people’s thought patterns worldwide? And
so on and so on.
Every time
we ask ourselves this question, we are immediately taken over by a feeling of
worthlessness, we suddenly remember our past failures, we see the faces of those
who told us we are good for nothing, we remember the many times we were
disappointed betrayed and left out. Too often, we allow these negative
thoughts steal our golden opportunities. Many have let their dreams die, many
have lost (forgotten) powerful ideas, and many have taken back seats in life
all because they told themselves: “I can’t, I am too weak, I am not good
enough, I am too poor or I am nothing”
Dear
friends, the simple truth is: no human being is born useless. God has a plan
for every one of us; a purpose for our existence; a fundamental task we are
meant to achieve. Of course, not everyone is born to become a millionaire but
everyone is born with a million-dollar worth of purpose to achieve.
Moses’
purpose was to lead the people of Israel out of Egypt at a time when the entire
nation was languishing in slavery and pain but this purpose was not revealed to
him until he encountered God in the burning bush. Do you know that it is
precisely when you catch yourself asking “Who am I to do this or do that?” that
you come across your own burning bush?
All the
while Moses was growing in the house of Pharaoh, he never really knew his life
had such a purpose. He only knew he loved his fellow Hebrews and could not
stand the sight of an Egyptian oppressing any one of them. The beautiful thing
is that even from our likes and dislikes, from our hobbies and talents, from
the things we love doing, we already have some glimpses of our ultimate
purpose. Moses had a passion for the Hebrews but little did he know that right
within this passion was his purpose in life.
It was in
the burning bush that God spoke to him in very clear terms. You may wonder?
What is my burning bush? It is that place where you feel something has to do be
done and at the same time, you feel worthless. It is that place where you catch
yourself asking with Moses, “Who am I to…?” God immediately told Moses
something we must bear in mind today: “But I will be with you; and this shall be the
sign for you, that I have sent you: when you have brought forth the people out
of Egypt, you shall serve God upon this mountain.” (Exodus 3:12)
You see, after
asking ourselves “Who am I to do this or start that?” we leave God out of the
picture. Instead of looking at Him who is putting such great ideas in our
minds, we look at ourselves and see our worthlessness. Instead of us to trust God
and proceed, we try to trust our own selves and drawback. Instead of us to
think of the many great deeds God has done for us in past, we assume we are
alone. If we read our first reading further, we would see that God spent a
chunk of time trying to assure Moses that even though he thinks so little of
himself, he has a God by his side.
When next you catch
yourself asking: “Who am I to do this or do that?” know that you are in the
burning bush, do not take your gaze away from God. Sure, you cannot trust
yourself, sure, you may feel really worthless but sure, with God, anything is
accomplishable. Don’t let your dreams die. When you begin to trust God, you
will never look down on yourself again.
Let
us pray: Lord Jesus, open my heart to know why you made me. Amen.
Be Happy.
Live Positive. Have Faith. It is well with you. God bless you. (Wednesday
of the 15th Week in Ordinary Time. Bible Study: Exodus 3:1-6, 9-12, Psalm
69 and Matthew 11:25-27).
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