It’s humbling when someone sees you struggling to do something and shows you a better way to do it.
This happens with Moses in Exodus 17-18. There, Moses is trying to be the sole settler of disputes among the people Israel, and his father-in-law not only points this out, but points Moses towards a better way.
Perhaps Mose wanted to do things himself, because he felt he didn’t have to the the time or energy to…
- Dissect and communicate what came naturally to him.
- Deal with people who didn’t think or see things the way he did.
- Instruct, train, and follow up with those he trained.
- Wonder if those people would do the task well…or at all.
Like Moses, Jesus had to deal with all of the above. It certainly would have been easier for Jesus to do things Himself, but He knew that easier would not have been better.
Jesus poured three years of His life into twelve men, teaching them to do His work. The didn’t always get it. They didn’t always do things well. At the end of their training, there were no guarantees they would be faithful to carry out the mission given them.
But Jesus knew the long term benefits to both the “trainees” and those they trained far out-weighed the short-term time and effort to train them. It wasn’t easier. It was better.
Taking the time to train is always better than just doing it yourself. Moses learned this lesson from His father-in-law and the disciples learned it from Jesus. The question is, will you and I learn the same lesson and pour ourselves into others?
Bret Legg is the Teaching and Counseling Pastor at Warren Baptist Church in Augusta, GA.