Did you know that Moses was called to serve God from birth? The king of Egypt was upset because too many Hebrew women were having babies at a faster rate than the Egyptians. The king ordered the midwives to kill all Hebrew baby boys. (Exodus 1:15-22) Moses was spared because God had big plans for him. Although Moses was Hebrew, he was raised as a prince in the Egyptian palace. God was training him for the work that was set aside for him. Moses was to change the trajectory the of lives Israelites.
When I taught Bible study to students the lesson was made simple: Moses was a prince for 40 years, a shepherd for 40 years and lastly he was a prophet for 40 years. A lot of training was required during the 120 years.
Moses The Prince
Moses was not born into the Egyptian dynasty but was adopted by an Egyptian princess; that made him a prince. He became accustom to the comforts of palace life. God’s hand was on this young man’s heart and, as he got older, he could not hold back his anger about the treatment of his kinsmen, the Hebrew slaves. The Egyptians were grooming him to be a great prince but Moses could no longer live the lie. He knew in his heart that he was Hebrew; so when he killed an Egyptian for striking a Hebrew, the king sought to kill him (Exodus 2:11-15). This experience taught Moses to live with and understand his enemies.
Moses had more training to go through., God could not use an immature prince to do His work; he was not yet ready for his calling.
Moses The Shepherd
A shepherd spends many hours alone tending to his sheep. These long hours of isolation were meant to clear Moses’ mind. Tending to sheep was training him to deal with stubborn people. Years had passed, the Egyptian king had died, but the Hebrews were still suffering from the brutal bondage of the Egyptians. God heard their murmuring.
While Moses was tending to the sheep on Mt. Sinai (Mt.Horeb), the Lord appeared to him in a burning bush. When God called out to him, Moses’ reply was “Here I am.” (Exodus 3:1-6) This was Moses’ calling; God had set him apart to save his people. Moses received his call and commission at the same time.
Moses the Prophet
Moses did not believe he was ready for such an exalted office. He questioned his calling and doubted that he was the right person for this commission. My favorite part of this story is when God answered Moses when he asked, “What is his name? what do I tell them” God answered, “I AM has sent me to you.” There were many other instances where Moses questioned his calling, but God always knows what He’s doing. Moses was 80 years old when he was called to be a prophet.
We Are All called
We all have a special purpose in life, a reason for living and, most importantly, a calling from God. My mother made sure that I was prepared with God as a child. She did her best to make sure we received our Sacraments of Baptism, First Holy Communion and Confirmation. For this I will be forever grateful. I knew early on that I had a calling but, like Moses, I had to go through some-life learning stages before God could use me. I was radical, extreme leftist and never held my tongue with my unfiltered thoughts. All along God was waiting for me to hear His voice, but due to the loud voices of animosity I could not hear a word He said. It took a while for me to come out of that confused state of mind, but when I did there was no turning back. I was sold out to God! I had no idea that God was training me to understand the mindset of a radical individual. I truly get it; I had a passion, but it was being used in an unloving manner.
My Calling
I serve God, my family, church and friends. This summer has been a great joy of service for our grandchildren. Summer has kept us busy with trips to museums, hiking, rides to the beach, basketball games, airport drop off and pick ups. We also watch our granddogs. Do I complain? Yes, of course I do; so did Moses. But it is through these acts of service that I grow closer to our grandchildren. They know my heart, and all of my funny stories will lead to a spiritual lesson about Jesus. I’m also called to lead.
Though both of my parents were born in the United States and spoke English, our mother made sure we spoke Spanish at home. I continued with this in my college days and have always had that advantage of a second language. We owned a tortilla factory, and most of our work force were Spanish-speaking, and all meetings were conducted in Spanish by yours truly. When our Bible study group ministered in Tijuana I was used as an interpreter.
This Blog is a loving effort to reach out to those who are in the valley of decision, sitting on the fence, or looking for guidance. In the six years of My Catholic Roots, I have not made a penny. God never told me that I would make money; He told me to write. He would give me the ideas, and the seeds of His love would be planted. My answer was “Here I am.”
Mike’s Calling
My husband Mike is one of the greatest servants of all. Mike’s father owned a tortilla factory (different from ours); La Tolteca was located on Mt. Vernon Street in San Bernardino. As a young boy of ten, Mike collected cardboard boxes from the back of liquor stores for his dad. Depending on the size of the box, Mike would receive anywhere from three to five cents. These boxes were recycled with packages of tortillas to be delivered to markets and restaurants. He learned early on the value of hard work and has instilled this into our children. Mike has the gift of accounting and this too has helped him in all of his life’s endeavors.
Ask
If you have not heard the voice of God, it’s not because He’s not there. Usually we have so many distractions to keep us from hearing His voice. Ask God to show you what your calling is. We waste so much time trying to fit in or please others that we lose sight of why God put us on earth in the first place. If you seek to be loved, look to the Father Who will bestow on you the greatest of all love. It’s never too late to serve. Remember Moses was 80 years old when he received his calling and commission.
My Prayer
Lord, Facebook has brought so many happy faces but, in reality, it’s Facebook happy. I pray that Your people would experience the joy of serving You and experience what joy and fulfillment is really about. Amen.
