Moses was a born leader. This is proclaimed in his origin story as his specialness was affirmed as a baby. He was born against all odds and his name reflects that truth, however unintentionally. Lifted from the water would be both literal and a prophecy of things to come. He was a slave by birthright, but noble in training. He even fooled the daughters of Midian. Yet he wasn’t taken seriously by his fellow Jews. It is clear that he wanted to fulfill a purpose for them, but he did so with insecurity and brashness. Instead of using his prowess from his training to help his people, he instead used his sense of entitlement from his upbringing. But it was clearly a step too far. This led Moses on his own wandering through the desert where God would forge him into the figure who became revered. Being chosen by God is not easy. All but one disciple of Christ was martyred. Yet, they were blessed to be in his plan. If Moses has chosen to be wise rather than brash, perhaps his story would’ve gone differently. In either case, he was clearly chosen despite the harm he brought to himself. We need to remember, if we feel God’s calling upon us, to rely on the choosing without relying on our strength or timing. One might say that Moses didn’t meet God until after the desert, but the preceding chapter speaks of the midwives who feared God enough to be blessed by him. Surely Moses knew of them, given the circumstances of his upbringing. He had to know of a better way to trust God. Instead he chose not to. Combined with his calling, this made him into an enemy and a murderer, and a man without a home. There is a right way to be called and chosen by God. We ought to trust God as the midwives did.