Pharaoh's daughter

After my realization about Modern Moses, and my last blog post, my mind has continued to go back to the Pharaoh's daughter.

Yes, I know that I named my organization Modern Moses because of Moses' biological mother and her faith in her God that He would take care of her son.

But I also said and believe that we should be more like Pharaoh's daughter to the orphans.


Pharaoh's daughter isn't mentioned much in the bible, but what she did was inspiring, and difficult.

I have often wondered what made her defy her own father, a father who wasn't just any Egyptian man, but the RULER.  The ruler who had ordered all Hebrew baby boys to death.

What went through her mind as she found this helpless, crying baby in a basket?

Sorrow for the family who had sent him? Did she feel the desperation of another mother, deep within her soul?

Did she immediately know she was going to keep Moses?
Did her body shake with fear of her father's reaction to what she was about to do?
Did she worry her father would disown her, if she would be cast out of the "royal family?"
She was very publicly, very certainly going against her father's orders.

The bible says NOTHING of this.  It describes the encounter in a very matter of fact way.

Something I am almost sure of is this-  When Pharaoh's daughter picked up that baby, she looked into his eyes and saw a little life worth loving- and sacrificing for.   It wasn't in her heart to simply put him down, look the other way and forget about him.  She chose love, whether or not it meant sacrifice.

We don't know how the Pharaoh responded when he heard of what his daughter had done.
I can imagine anger.  It's easy to imagine anger from a man ordering the deaths of all male babies, isn't it?
Its hard to comprehend how much he probably loved his daughter, and how his love for her, brought on a sense of forgiveness and then acceptance.
However this scene played out in Pharaoh's home, we know from history that the daughter was successful in her plans to raise Moses as her own.
{You go, girl!!}

This is how we should be like the Pharaoh's daughter.

When we decide to take in an orphan child, we often don't know what we are sacrificing.
We can become scrutinized by others, for doing things differently than they would have.
We can lose some financial comfort.
We almost definitely will lose {lots and lots of} sleep.
We will agonize over parenting decisions, help with endless amounts of homework and die a little inside, each time that child gets hurt, made fun of, or struggles.

But looking into the eyes of a child, we can always see a life who is worth being loved, and worth every bit of that sacrifice.

Can't we? 

As a mother whom has adopted, I can relate to the Pharaoh's daughter.

When I see my beautiful children, I feel a deep sorrow for their birth mother.
I have also dealt with some sacrifices that come along with being a parent (biological or adoptive, truly). {SLEEP, mainly!}

I have sacrificed a good friend and her family, for what I believed was best for my family, when she simply didn't agree.   I didn't know that was going to happen when I brought a child into my home, but after loving my child, I knew that was a sacrifice I would be willing to make.

But heres the deal, guys.

When its all said and done, there will be little said about the sacrifices that were made.  What will be remembered is that the child got a new start, and had a memorable life, one that couldn't have been without orphan care.

Pharaoh's daughter isn't the hero for taking in and raising Moses.
But because she took him in, she allowed him to grow up to be a hero. 

Pretty powerful stuff, huh?