The story of Moses is one of my favorites.

I love how his story begins.

When Moses was an infant, there was a decree that all non-Egyptian babies were to be put to death. His mother hid him for three months and then realized that she couldn’t hide him any longer.

Then, she placed him in a waterproof basket and placed him in the Nile River to survive.

Let’s analyze this. She weighed out her options. She decided that he had a better chance of survival in a basket, floating down the Nile River instead of continuing to hide him in her house.

Did she worry? Did she wonder if the basket would hold? Did she wonder where he’d end up? Did she consider that whoever found him would kill him immediately?

No.

There wasn’t any mention of her doubts or concerns.

Why?

Because her love was bigger than her fear.

Because her faith was bigger than her fear.

Because she knew that her God was bigger than the Egyptian death sentence.

Moms make decisions everyday. Actually, we make decisions for our children numerous times per day, every second of everyday.

If you were to tell me that you placed your child in a basket to float down the Nile River in order to survive, I’d probably be prepared to swim down the Nile River, thinking that I’d need to save your child.

But Moses survived and was placed in a position of power in order to save God’s people and lead them to the promise land.

He survived because his mother knew that his only chance of survival was through a courageous, faithful, daring act that led her to the Nile River.

Mothers are special. There is strength, intuition, love, mercy, grace, and beauty in every single one of us.

And God designed us this way. The minute we give birth and the child is in our arms, we become a mom like the one Moses had.

We find strength in times of trouble.

We have the intuition to know when something is wrong.

We have enough love to fill a child’s heart every single second of everyday.

We have the mercy and grace to forgive and move forward.

And when you add all of that together, you have beauty.

We’re not perfect by any means. But that’s also what gives us beauty. We make mistakes, fall, get back up, and move forward, all while making sure there’s a roof over our heads and food in our bellies.

Celebrate a little extra this Mother’s Day! Smile extra big on FaceTime or in person! She’s a woman of God. A woman of might. A woman who made every single decision in life based on your survival. Not just your happiness. But also on your survival.

A mother is a gift from God, no matter the circumstance, the legal paperwork, the age, the distance, or even possibly despite any hurt in the past. She is a gift from God. God chose HER to be your mom.

God chose Jochebed to be Moses’s mother because he knew that she would be the only one strong enough to send him down the Nile River to his destiny.

God, hear my prayer. We thank you for each and every mother on this Earth. We thank you for designing us specifically for the child you had in mind for us. We ask for forgiveness for our mistakes and we pray for continued strength as we make decisions for our children. We also thank you for Jochebed, a leading example of the strength found inside each and every one of us when it counts the most and a leading example of her faithfulness in your protection of her child. May we be more like Jochebed. God, let us celebrate all mothers with joy, peace, and thanksgiving. Amen.

This is one of my absolute FAVORITE videos about mothers. It’s posted as a job interview and people don’t realize what it’s really about until the end. Enjoy!

“She is clothed with strength and dignity; she can laugh at the days to come. She speaks with wisdom, and faithful instruction is on her tongue. She watches over the affairs of her household and does not eat the bread of idleness. Her children arise and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praises her:” Proverbs 31:25-28.