Freed to Fly

So Moses went and returned to Jethro his father-in-law, and said to him, “Please let me go and return to my brethren who are in Egypt, and see whether they are still alive.” And Jethro said to Moses, “Go in peace.” —Exodus 4:18 NKJV

A young stranger, having cast off all vestiges of his Egyptian life, fled out into the safety and refuge of the desert. There, he strolled into the life of Jethro the Midianite. He won the hand of Jethro’s daughter and became an integral part of that family. Together, they knit their bonds tightly. They began to build a full life together and made lasting memories. Jethro’s future was bound up in the hopes and dreams and the joys of the pitter-patter of little feet about the tent, of growing old in the safety and care of his daughter and son-in-love, and in the privilege of the older generation passing down his heritage to the younger.

Now, with God’s call on his life, here Moses stands before his father-in-law, asking permission to take the man’s beloved daughter and the grands and leave. Not just to go anywhere. Back to the very place where his face is plastered on forty-year-old wanted posters that have long since been stashed in the cold case files, collecting dust. Despite the potential danger they would face, Jethro lets them go, covered with his warm blanket of prayer and blessing over them.

Faster than we can blink, it seems, teddy bears are traded in for college textbooks, and skateboards are swapped for the first home mortgage. Little girls who once stood in their cribs, reaching their arms out for mama to pick them up, are now walking down the aisle on the arm of their daddy for one last walk as “daddy’s little girl.”

Behind and beside our kids stand parents whose hearts swell with pride yet also break in the bittersweet act of letting go. We want our kids to grow and succeed at life, but we also want to hold on and keep them safe with us forever. Training and freeing our kids to fly the coop in the strength of the foundation we have laid, hopefully on the foundation of the solid Rock of Christ, is not for the faint of heart. But it is one of the greatest, most rewarding, and most needful gifts we can give our children.

Father, thank You for the example You have given us in Jethro, for his ability to trust and let go. Thank You for the gift of parents and of being a parent. Above all, thank You for being our DAD. I love You, Lord!

O Lord our God, our homes are Thine forever!
We trust to Thee their problems, toil, and care.
Their bonds of love no enemy can sever
If Thou art always Lord and Master there.
Be Thou the center of our least endeavor.
Be Thou our Guest, our hearts and homes to share.
—From “A Christian Home,” by Barbara B. Hart, songwriter

In Him,
Donna Perkins

Sweet Selah Ministries                                                                                

Vision                                                                                                                                                          
To inspire a movement away from the belief that “busy is better”
and toward the truth of God’s Word that stillness and knowing
Him matter most—and will be reflected in more effective work and service

 Mission
To offer biblical resources and retreats that help women pause (Selah)
and love God more deeply as they know Him more intimately (Sweet)

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