“Then the LORD said to Moses, "Get up early in the morning and confront Pharaoh as he goes to the river and say to him, 'This is what the LORD says: Let my people go, so that they may worship me.” (Exodus 8:20 NIV)
The Lord called Moses to confront the Egyptian ruler about the oppression of His people. The Egyptians had been using the Israelites for hard labor. The slaveholders benefited from the system; the slaves did not. Understandably, those with privilege were loathe to make changes. Many of the Israelites, who had lived in bondage for generations, were also reluctant to leave their familiar turf. They didn’t know any other way to live. Moses had his work cut out for him.
Harriet Tubman, an abolitionist and activist, was considered the ‘Moses of her people’. She escaped slavery but then returned to lead other slaves to freedom. She used what she had learned to help others escape bondage. However, she found it difficult to convince some slaves who had never experienced liberty to make the dangerous journey.
I have several friends who lead studies on different topics related to recovery, codependency, boundaries, and ministry. They teach these classes to different groups every few years. Most of us who participate in these classes are unaware of our shackling thoughts and self-sabotaging behavior. We have been in bondage all our lives and don’t know any better. However, our guides, who have traveled this path before, show us the way out of slavery. And we, in turn, become guides to those who come up behind us.
“Each time one of us takes a step forward, we pull the entire group forward.” (Language of Letting Go, Melody Beattie)
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