Flip Flops on a Stick
Oliver and I read about Moses and the Israelites backpacking to the Promise Land. The story reminded me a lot of our road trips. On road trips, I am Moses, except my meetings with God are usually via prayer, and not on top of a mountain.
While my children do not melt my earrings and make a golden calf to worship, they do idolize others on the internet. For example, they know a lot more about cartoon characters, celebrities, athletes, and YouTubers than they do about God. Oh no, I must intervene.
Okay, so I'm not going to melt their electronics into a soup and make them drink every drop. I might however play some Christian music, which usually elicits some form of whining. "Not this music! We're not on an elevator, mom!"
You know, we might not be traveling in circles for days, but I do get lost a lot! And my kids act like they're doing the hard work. I can see why Moses found it so challenging. My kids are like popular songs on the radio, I hear the same thing repeatedly, until I know the words by heart. "We're hungry! We're thirsty! It's too hot! It's too cold! Are we there yet? How much longer? I want to go home."
The Israelites were just as impatient. They complained. They whined. They didn't trust God. Even when He met their needs, they still complained. God got angry. Moms get angry too!
Only we don't send hundreds of snakes. The poor Israelites begged Moses to get rid of the snakes, so he prayed to God. Only God didn't send the snakes away. God told Moses to make a bronze snake and put it on a pole. If the Israelites got bitten, they were to look at the snake and be healed. Did that stop all their whining and complaining? No! It took them 40 years to walk approximately 227 miles! Spoiler alert, most of them died.
I might not have a snake on a pole, but I do have a flip flop on a stick.
So, what's the moral? Whining doesn't get you anywhere. In fact, it might delay you from getting where you want to go!
While my children do not melt my earrings and make a golden calf to worship, they do idolize others on the internet. For example, they know a lot more about cartoon characters, celebrities, athletes, and YouTubers than they do about God. Oh no, I must intervene.
Okay, so I'm not going to melt their electronics into a soup and make them drink every drop. I might however play some Christian music, which usually elicits some form of whining. "Not this music! We're not on an elevator, mom!"
You know, we might not be traveling in circles for days, but I do get lost a lot! And my kids act like they're doing the hard work. I can see why Moses found it so challenging. My kids are like popular songs on the radio, I hear the same thing repeatedly, until I know the words by heart. "We're hungry! We're thirsty! It's too hot! It's too cold! Are we there yet? How much longer? I want to go home."
The Israelites were just as impatient. They complained. They whined. They didn't trust God. Even when He met their needs, they still complained. God got angry. Moms get angry too!
Only we don't send hundreds of snakes. The poor Israelites begged Moses to get rid of the snakes, so he prayed to God. Only God didn't send the snakes away. God told Moses to make a bronze snake and put it on a pole. If the Israelites got bitten, they were to look at the snake and be healed. Did that stop all their whining and complaining? No! It took them 40 years to walk approximately 227 miles! Spoiler alert, most of them died.
I might not have a snake on a pole, but I do have a flip flop on a stick.
So, what's the moral? Whining doesn't get you anywhere. In fact, it might delay you from getting where you want to go!
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