Moses and Some Thoughts about Siblings
A couple of weeks ago I wrote a sensory story about Moses, in a couple of weeks ago I was also self-isolating. After over two years of avoiding the inevitable, my positive lateral flow test finally arrived. Thankfully it came with fairly mild symptoms and also with a sense of gratitude for God’s provision. I was thankful that it arrived at a time where I didn’t need to cancel or rearrange anything particularly urgent. I was thankful that it arrived at a time where my body was already healthy and reasonably energized, able to recover easily. I was thankful for practical provisions, a safe comfortable home in which to recover, food deliveries already in place and offers of practical help.
As I read the Bible’s account of Moses’ earliest days (Exodus 2) one of the themes which struck me was that of provision. God provides
Moses with safety while he floats down the Nile in a basket. He provides Moses
with a new family and home with Pharoah’s daughter but He also provides Moses
with a remaining link to his birth family. As I read this story and looked
further ahead into Moses’ adulthood there was a particular provision relating
to Moses’ birth family which stuck out to me, that of his siblings, Aaron and
Miriam.
Of course both Aaron and Miriam are both flawed characters
but God is able to use them significantly in Moses’ life in ways which feel
particularly meaningful for children and young people with additional needs and
their siblings.
Miriam watches over Moses- she was ready and skilled in
meeting his needs by ensuring he was given back to the care of his mum.
Siblings often know what their siblings need and are ready to help ensure they
are met and will increasingly do so as they grow
Aaron speaks for Moses, we don’t know why Moses finds it
difficult to speak but we know that God provides Aaron to speak for him.
Siblings often advocate for their siblings, help express their needs, tell us
their likes and dislikes
How though might God use a young person with additional
needs in the lives of their siblings? Well it might be that He uses them in one
of the ways above, they may be able to care for their siblings in some way or
they may be able to advocate for them. There’s another role though which Miriam
plays not only in Moses’ life but in that of God’s people which I’ve seen reflected
in young people with additional needs and their families. Miriam leads the
people of God in worship. After God parts the red sea it is Miriam who takes a
tambourine, dances and encourages the people around her to sing praises to God
(Exodus 15) and they do. I’ve often met children and young people with
additional needs whose enthusiasm and joy at coming to church seems to be a
driving factor in their whole family continuing to attend and prioritizing church.
They may be dependent on others to meet many of their needs but their delight
in being part of God’s people is infectious and an act of service to those
around them including their siblings.
To finish on a small disclaimer. I don’t have a sibling with
additional needs, I hear it’s really hard but I can’t claim to fully understand
this experience. The story of Moses, Aaron and Miriam prompted me though to
pray for young people with additional needs and their siblings, to thank God
for the ways in which they serve each other and to ask God to provide them with
all they need to be able to keep doing so.
Included below is a short sensory story about God’s
provision for Moses. If you do try it out let me know how you get on!
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