Herding Cats...and Israelites
There's no turning back!
“In the desert the whole community grumbled against Moses and Aaron. The Israelites said to them, ‘If only we had died by the LORD’s hand in Egypt! There we sat around pots of meat and ate all the food we wanted, but you have brought us out into this desert to starve this entire assembly to death.’”
—Exodus 16:2-3
Teaching has often been compared to herding cats. As a former classroom teacher, I can confirm: the analogy is solid. Put thirty strong-minded, snack-deprived students in a room with one overcaffeinated teacher, and you’ve got yourself a situation.
So I have a lot of sympathy for Moses here. He didn’t even want the job in the first place. But after a little arm-twisting from God, he led God’s people out of Egypt—no small thing. He convinced Pharaoh to let them go, crossed the Red Sea like a boss, and got everybody safely out of slavery.
Cue the celebration. Miriam’s tambourine was going. There were palm trees. Springs of water. It was a solid start to the trip.
But before long?
The complaining started:
“It’s too hot.”
“There’s sand in my sandals.”
“Manna? Again?”
“You know, Egypt wasn’t that bad…”
If you’ve ever taken a road trip with small children, you understand exactly what Moses was dealing with.
The Problem with Change
Even when God is leading us somewhere better, change feels uncomfortable. The unknown makes us nostalgic for things we didn’t even like that much when we had them. Egypt may have been miserable—but at least they knew what to expect.
It’s not just them. We’re like that too. We pray for new opportunities, and when God answers, we find ourselves looking over our shoulder at the old life we prayed to leave behind.
No Going Back
“When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven…”
—Acts 2:1-2
When Jesus ascended, His disciples couldn’t go back to their fishing nets and old routines, not really. They had seen too much. They knew too much. The Holy Spirit came to empower them for the next thing God had for them—not to help them stay stuck in the past.
The same is true for us.
Where We Are Now
We’re not Israelites wandering around the desert, and (hopefully) no one is trying to herd you into neat rows like unruly cats. But we are people on a journey, called to trust God into places we haven’t been yet.
New seasons require new courage.
What God has for you ahead is better than anything you left behind, even if the old places had their comfortable spots.
So here’s to moving forward—not perfectly, not effortlessly, but together—with the Spirit of God going before us and beside us.
No turning back.
Prayer:
Lord, when I get tempted to look backward, help me remember that You are always leading me toward life. Even when I don’t know what’s next, I trust that You do. Give me courage for the road ahead. Amen.
Final Thoughts:
What about you? Is there something God’s calling you toward that feels uncomfortable or uncertain? I’d love to hear your thoughts. Hitting the comment button is easy. Change is hard. One step at a time—let’s encourage each other as we move forward.