Parents are Dreamers, Too

When she could hide him no longer she got a papyrus basket for him, and plastered it with bitumen and pitch; she put the child in it and placed it among the reeds on the bank of the river. – Exodus 2:3

Born in poverty, adopted by an Egyptian princess, Moses went on to deliver the Hebrew people from slavery by crossing the Red Sea after God parted the waters. But I am fascinated by Moses’ childhood, which began as a baby floating down the River Nile in a basket.

Pharaoh was determined to keep a rebellion away by any means necessary. Baby Moses was born into a world where he had no future. Midwives helped the Hebrew mothers hide the birth of their newborn babies, but eventually, a baby gets too big and too loud to hide. So faced with no other option, Moses’ mother was willing to float him down the river into an uncertain future. How bad do things have to be at home to make you willing to do something like that?

Moses was a dreamer, like the dreamers who come to this country as children, with no knowledge that they are here illegally. Of course these children should not be blamed for breaking an immigration law. But I don’t blame their parents either. It’s not just children who are dreamers. Parents are dreamers too.

Moses’ mother was a dreamer like that. She dreamed of more for her son than her world had to offer, and she did what she had to do. She dreamed big, bold, and brave.

Prayer

God bless the dreamers, young and old, and bless the lands their dreams carry them to.

About the Author
Lillian Daniel’s new book Tired of Apologizing for a Church I Don’t Belong To: Spirituality without Stereotypes, Religion without Ranting is now available for purchase, but you can hear it all for free at 1st Congregational Church of Dubuque, Iowa.