March 24

The Bronze Serpent

            The people came to Moses and said, “We have sinned by speaking against the Lord and against you; pray to the Lord to take away the serpents from us.” So Moses prayed for the people.  And the Lord said to Moses, “Make a poisonous serpent, and set it on a pole; and everyone who is bitten shall look at it and live.”  So Moses made a serpent of bronze, and put it upon a pole; and whenever a serpent bit someone, that person would look at the serpent of bronze and live.

Numbers 21:7-9

            The Children of Israel were tired of the journey that God was taking them on.  The road was long and hard…freedom was supposed to be easier.  The people longed to be done with the struggle and decided that God was not out for their good, but rather they were simply pawns for some game that He was playing.  They decided that life would be better if they took their destiny into their own hands.  They rejected Moses.  They rejected God.  And from their sin came death.  Poisonous snakes flooded the camp, killing many.

            The people repented and asked God for mercy.  So God instructed Moses to fashion a creature of bronze, just as the people had constructed an idol of gold.  Raise up the snake on a piece of wood as a representation of their sin and if anyone was dying all that they needed to do was lift their eyes to the creature and they would be saved.

            The similarities between this old testament story and Jesus’ Crucifixion are heavy, the bronze serpent foreshadowing Jesus’ destiny hundreds of years before the events of the Gospels came to pass. 

            It was supposed to be easier…all of it.  Marriage, parenting, Life…all of it was supposed to be easier and more fun.  This life was supposed to be an adventure filled with laughter and excitement and victories but instead we have…this.  Daily life is filled with monotony that is interrupted by crisis and drama.  Laundry and dishes and bills and medications are tasks that never stop.  For the Special Needs Community, good days are ones that have nothing out of the ordinary happen.  When the unexpected hits, it is often accompanied with stress and tears and doctors.  The path is long and hard and it is easy to get tired and wonder if God is really out for our good or not.

            I have a friend who likes to say, “It is only a true adventure if it contains at least one moment where you wish you were not there.”  God took the Israelites the long way around to the Promised Land when they first came out of Egypt because they were not yet ready to face the enemies that they needed to defeat.  The quicker and easier path would have led to their destruction. 

            This life that we are caught up in is filled with wonder and joy and breakthroughs and miracles that will sneak by us if we are not paying attention.  We can become so caught up in wishing that our life was different that we can miss the simple joy of the laughter of our children.  “The Monster at the End of This Book…”  I read this book hundreds if not thousands of times.  My son was surprised at the same parts every time.  He laughed at the same parts every time and he asked to read it again and again and again.  He wanted the same voices and the same sounds and would giggle and giggle with delight every time.  There were days where I was delighted to bond with my boy over this simple book.  There were days I was just annoyed; I was tired and bored and ready to not bang and bonk and clank and I was so ready to be done talking like Grover.

            Our lives are filled with repetitive tasks, ignored efforts and stressful moments.  They are part of the path that has been set before us in taking care of our children.  But they are not the entirety of the path.  Do not allow impatience or boredom to rob you of seeing the wonder and beauty of the adventure that you have embarked upon.

A moment to reflect:

What parts of the adventure that you are on make you the most excited?  Which parts do you dread the most?