Exodus 18: Advice from an In-Law
After Moses had led Israel out of Egypt, his father-in-law Jethro brought Moses' wife and children to join the rest of the Israelites. The old man stayed for a visit and observed Moses at work. And, a newlywed husband can always count one one thing from his father-in-law: advice.
Quickly, Jethro saw that the sheer volume of the work was overwhelming Moses. So he suggested that Moses appoint sub-officials to settle disputers, reserving only the most difficult cases for himself. Moses recognized this good advice and acted on it. Not to mention, Moses apparently liked and respected his father-in-law, and with good reason. Jethro took him in when he was running for his life after killing an Egyptian. And in addition to letting Moses marry his daughter, Jethro gave him a job. These two men lived and worked together for 40 years before God called Moses back to his people.
As a priest of Midian, we don't know exactly how much about the true God Jethro knew before Moses came. Surely, he and Moses talked often of their faith. After the Exodus, when Moses told Jethro how God had liberated the slaves from Pharaoh, Jethro acknowledged Moses' God as greater than all other gods. Even so, Jethro did not accompany the Israelites on their journey to the promised land. He returned to his home, a believer in God but remaining apart from God's chosen people.
Life Question: How difficult can it be to be able to delegate responsibilities in your life. Is it just as easy to say, "I'll just do it myself- that way, I know that it will get done correctly!"
Sadly, I tend to take the latter approach here. I have always been fearful of having others view my attempt at "delegating" as a way for me to simply avoid work/ responsibilities. However, the mark of a true leader is someone who is able to select people whom he/ she trusts and can work collectively together on any given task. Certainly, communication is key. A school's faculty and administration team struggle with this concept weekly...trust me, I know...
After Moses had led Israel out of Egypt, his father-in-law Jethro brought Moses' wife and children to join the rest of the Israelites. The old man stayed for a visit and observed Moses at work. And, a newlywed husband can always count one one thing from his father-in-law: advice.
Quickly, Jethro saw that the sheer volume of the work was overwhelming Moses. So he suggested that Moses appoint sub-officials to settle disputers, reserving only the most difficult cases for himself. Moses recognized this good advice and acted on it. Not to mention, Moses apparently liked and respected his father-in-law, and with good reason. Jethro took him in when he was running for his life after killing an Egyptian. And in addition to letting Moses marry his daughter, Jethro gave him a job. These two men lived and worked together for 40 years before God called Moses back to his people.
As a priest of Midian, we don't know exactly how much about the true God Jethro knew before Moses came. Surely, he and Moses talked often of their faith. After the Exodus, when Moses told Jethro how God had liberated the slaves from Pharaoh, Jethro acknowledged Moses' God as greater than all other gods. Even so, Jethro did not accompany the Israelites on their journey to the promised land. He returned to his home, a believer in God but remaining apart from God's chosen people.
Life Question: How difficult can it be to be able to delegate responsibilities in your life. Is it just as easy to say, "I'll just do it myself- that way, I know that it will get done correctly!"
Sadly, I tend to take the latter approach here. I have always been fearful of having others view my attempt at "delegating" as a way for me to simply avoid work/ responsibilities. However, the mark of a true leader is someone who is able to select people whom he/ she trusts and can work collectively together on any given task. Certainly, communication is key. A school's faculty and administration team struggle with this concept weekly...trust me, I know...
1 comment:
I love to delegate whenever possible. I know now that doing work as a team is the way to growth in the lives of everyone. I am inspired by the way Jesus entrusted His disciples with work He could have done perfectly. This was the way for them to learn and grow. It takes a measure of faith to entrust something of importance to someone who may fail; yet even the so-called failures add to our wisdom.
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