EMPOWERING LIVES WITH PURPOSE:
Rev. Lisa Morrison, Guest Writer, Women World Leaders
The Far Side of the Wilderness
Moses found himself tending sheep on the far side of the wilderness after he murdered an Egyptian who was beating a Hebrew slave (Ex 3:1). He fled in order not to be killed by Pharaoh.
Moses had been raised as a prince of Egypt and had received the finest education and training available. He went from the highest of the high to the lowest of the low.
I wonder if he thought God had forgotten him in the wilderness as he spent his days doing what the Egyptians despised by tending his father-in-law’s sheep.
I recently found myself on the far side of the wilderness. I had moved home after 40 years of being away. I was in the midst of a major transition and asked my brother if he had any temporary work for me. He said he had some manual labor if I was interested. I thought I would be working for the family business but instead, I found myself in the woods of his 40-acre property pulling up bittersweet weeds and hauling brush from the trees he cut down.
Like Moses, I had been highly educated and trained for my profession, so pulling up weeds in the midst of the woods felt like the lowest of the low. The first day I laid on the ground and cried (I doubt Moses did this…or maybe he did.) I wanted to quit but I heard my mother’s voice in my head say, “You asked your brother for work. He provided it so you cannot quit!”
As I spent my days in the wilderness woods, I wondered if God had forgotten about me.
In Exodus 3:2, we see God hadn’t forgotten about Moses while he was on the far side of the wilderness. God knew exactly where Moses was. He had a purpose for his life, and he had been preparing him for his next BIG assignment.
As I spent time on my far side of the wilderness, I realized God hadn’t forgotten about me. I began to appreciate the time I spent with Him one-on-one in His creation. I was grateful for His presence and calling me deeper in relationship with Him. He was preparing me for when He would let me know what His next assignment was for me.
If you are on the far side of the wilderness, realize you are never forgotten by God, and He always knows exactly where you are. May you allow Him to work in your life so that He can prepare you for your next assignment for Him.