6 She opened it and saw the baby. He was crying, and she felt sorry for him. “This is one of the Hebrew babies,” she said.
There is something about a crying infant that touches almost everyone. Some are overwhelmed with compassion, like the woman in this story. Some simply get frustrated because they can’t figure out how to help the child in a way that will get them to stop crying. For those of us who are parents, we have probably been in both situations with our own children. Infants don’t come with an Owner’s Manual. They are too complicated and too individualized to follow a manual. Each one is unique, and the relationship between mother and child is unique. The bonds of intimate communication are difficult to develop because they are so subtle. The infant has one way to communicate discomfort: they cry! But often those cries are slightly different depending on what the child wants. And parents must be willing to listen carefully to those subtle differences. If they do, they can more easily meet the needs of the infant. The daughter of the ruler of Egypt has found Moses, an Israelite baby boy who should be killed. Her father has said so. But the cry of the infant stirs something in his daughter that turns her heart soft toward the baby boy. So, instead of killing the baby, she takes him home as her own. She clearly knows that she is violating her father’s order to kill the Hebrew babies, but she ignores her father’s command. We have just had a granddaughter born Christmas Eve. Talk about melting my heart! From the first moment I saw her, she had me. I felt the same way with each of my own children and now with both of my grandchildren. The funny thing is that I feel that way with most children and most people. God has such grace available to everyone, and I can see that potential and I deeply desire them to experience it for themselves. My heart often melts. My eyes often betray me. Don’t be afraid to get captured by the grace of God, even if it is in the face of an infant.
The Arnold Journey 