When my dad first introduced my mom to his foster parents, they quickly advised him to “not let this one go.” From that point on, my mom developed a great relationship with her in-laws.
And when dad met mom’s parents, he looked carefully at his potential mother-in-law as an indication of how his future wife might be. Pleased with what he saw, he asked mom to marry him on that very trip.
In-laws can be tricky. The combining of two families who have done things in different ways is a challenge that all couples face.
I have friends who are pleased and thrilled with the family that they married into. Others spend more time frustrated than blessed, but it is all part of the package deal.
Moses was at his wits end. He was burdened by the responsibilities as leader of the Israelites and overwhelmed by their demands for his time, counsel, and attention.
But God blessed him with a great father-in-law who offered some wise advice in Exodus 18.
Moses had taken it upon himself to inform the people of all of the decrees and instructions from God every time they came to him seeking God’s will. Moses could not attend to the thousands who came to him. There was no way!
Instead, he took his father-in-law, Jethro’s advice and chose capable men that he could train to sit as leaders, officials, and judges for the people. They then took the more difficult cases to Moses—a much more manageable situation.
Moses had introduced Jethro to God and then Jethro turned around and became the one to seek God’s will to bless and relieve Moses of the strain.
Jesus followed the same pattern of training a few to meet the needs of the many. We would not be here today if it had not started with the twelve.
Both Moses and Jesus understood the concept of multiplication and strove to work themselves out of a job—training others to inform the people of God’s instruction.
Who are you helping train in God’s instruction?