Dear Jochebed,
It has been always hard for me to let go,
Especially someone close, I am sure you know,
‘Cos you had to give away your three-month-old youngling,
For whom you stayed up all night to ease his crying.
I cannot fathom the pain you felt,
As you prepared the basket and draped him in a blanket,
All that went through your head was to protect your baby,
And you were a little worried about how his tomorrow would be,
But you stood strong so that your daughter could see,
That your faith is in a Big God who hears every plea.
As the basket floated away,
All you did was pray,
For your son whom for three months you hid,
Keeping him quiet, every uneasiness of his you rid,
How can you see him floating away,
But there was no way you could let him stay.
Faith, so beautifully you defined,
How your son so wonderfully God designed,
came right back to you,
How God works without even giving a clue,
Thank you, Jochebed for teaching me to let go,
Even when it all seems dark, to believe that God would show,
the light of His love which shines through every valley low,
And reveal greater things, the ones that I am yet to know.
Love,
The Controlling Woman
When we really love a person or a thing, it is hard for us to let go. I have had this struggle as I am a person who gets emotionally attached to people; I am extra sensitive to their actions. I tend to question them when they are not their usual self and then it almost reaches a point that they get exasperated by it. Despite the fact that I wrote this poem, I did not like the fact that Jochebed just floated her baby away. What kind of mother is she? How did she know for sure that the makeshift basket boat she made would stay afloat? What if some animals attacked the baby? This got me thinking. I understand that the baby was under the threat of being killed by the king but why did she separate the child from herself; isn’t it similar to orphaning the child?
Mother’s love—touted the strongest bond, what happened to that in Jochebed’s case? I am pretty sure she had the same love. But her faith in God was stronger. She knew that child belonged to Him first and she was sure that He would take care of everything. This is what we should have! Faith that God is in control. I remember mentioning a quote by Meshali in one of the articles—“The opposite of faith is not doubt; it is control.” Oftentimes, we tend to sketch the results we want and show it God instead of waiting for His blueprint. We want things to happen a certain way, especially when it comes to relationships with friends and family. We tend to be too focused on the other person that the fear of losing them grips us. What we need to understand is that the person is God’s first and only then ours. There may be fights, disagreements and distance but it is up to us to keep trusting in God and have faith that ‘Your Babe’ is going to be just fine.