As long as Moses held up his hands, the Israelites were winning, but whenever he lowered his hands, the Amalekites were winning. When Moses’ hands grew tired, they took a stone and put it under him and he sat on it. Aaron and Hur held his hands up—one on one side, one on the other—so that his hands remained steady till sunset. -Exodus 17:11-12
I wonder what that moment was like when he realized the position of his hands determined the fate of Israel and Amalek. I wonder if Moses had a fearful and heart-sinking moment of doubt that he could pull this off. After all, he was just a man; his muscles were bound to get weak and his hands were destined to fall to his side.
At what point did Aaron and Hur step in to hold his arms for him? Was it when he asked for help or did they see him growing weak and run to his side? In the end, I suppose it does not matter. Regardless of how or when Aaron and Hur held up Moses’ arms, they did it. They were there for him when he needed them.
When life is difficult, you are exhausted, and you are weary from inner battles playing out before you, it is hard to admit your weakness. It is scary to let people see the things that are warring within you. Pride says that you should be able to defeat the enemy on your own without help. Pride will also make you a false martyr by allowing you to claim that you don’t want to burden other people.
My sisters, community is not a burden. Community sharpens us in our walk with God and helps us grow deeply by holding our hands through treacherous paths. We still have to make the journey ourselves. We still have to do the work that makes us worn and overwhelmed. We still have to push through ourselves. But we do not have to go alone.
Community is a gift. How blessed we are to share our lives with each other. I wonder what it was like for Moses when Aaron and Hur came to his side.
Can you imagine the relief and comfort he must have felt? Can you imagine how loved he must have felt? Can you imagine how strong and brotherly Aaron and Hur must have felt when they rallied around Moses?
Do not shy away from the people in your life. Invest in them.
{photo: @katebooye}
About the Author
Kelli Galpin≫ ≫Like any good introvert, Kelli enjoys coffee, sitting under a pile of blankets in her reading chair, and writing down the silly thoughts that come into her head. She was born and raised in Iowa, but moved to Middle Tennessee almost a decade ago to escape the cold winters. Her main goal in life is to make you laugh and realize no one has their stuff together. (Thank goodness!) She has a blog that’s approximately one minute old, but she’d love for you to pay it a visit at LateBloomerChronicles.net