The story of Moses at the burning bush is familiar. It has been the subject of many Sunday School projects and talks over the years. I have helped children make foliage of tissue paper, wax resist, and plain old markers. John once spent time he didn't have creating metal leaves that curved to hold oil, with tapers that he
lit to ignite tiny flames on a branch. The proportion of hours spent building it, to the minutes children watched it burn, was lopsided.
This week I attended a church service that enacted the story, using a wooden bush with flickering light behind it. The details were the same, but the commentary by the minister was new. He walked us through the list of reasons Moses put forth
to avoid doing what God told him to. Perhaps because I know how the conversation ends, which is agreement, I had never counted how many obstacles Moses threw in the way.
"Who am I to try to free my people?"
"What if they don't believe me?"
"Who will I even say sent me?"
"I am not good with words. Send someone else."
God had answers for each concern, yet at no point did Moses sound
convinced. He obeyed not because it made sense, but from a fledgling sense of trust.
I can relate. Feeling under qualified is a common response. I've heard it spruced up with a fancy title... Imposter Syndrome. Still, it can be more gritty than that. Our reluctance to stand up to a bully flexing his power, or our insecurities can hold us back. There have been jobs I took
on in spite of copious reasons not to.
The last response from God really resonated. He gave Moses someone to help him. Which is the same answer God has often offered to me.