Michael Youssef has written a new book, Treasure that Lasts. It chronicles the life of Moses who was born into slavery but then experienced privilege and power when he was adopted by Pharoah’s daughter. He went from being a baby that should have had his life snuffed out at birth to the height of privilege and power as the adopted grandchild to Pharaoh. But Moses chose instead to surrender all of it.
In today’s culture, surrendering privilege and power would be a faux pas. You are supposed to GAIN privilege and power, NOT give it up. There has never been a greater emphasis on having the upper hand in America but is that really the answer? Has not the greatest impact on our world been by those who have surrendered privilege and power to serve others?
Youssef says, “Had Moses not made that crucial decision to visit his people, had he chosen to remain in the palace, we would never have read his story in the Bible. Instead, we would have read about him in the secular history books about ancient Egypt. His whole life would barely have rated a single paragraph – ‘the only Hebrew slave to have become a Pharoah’… The entire history of Israel might never have happened if Moses had not made that fateful decision.”
Many scholars credit that decision he made as an adult to the influence that his godly mother had on him during those first 4–5 formative years of his life while she weaned him for Pharaoh’s daughter. You can read about it in Exodus 2. So, how important are those formative years? Very!
According to The First Five Years Fund (FFYF.org), research shows that “one million new neural connections are formed every second in the first few years of life.” In those five years, the “child’s brain is at its most flexible, making this a critical period for learning and growth.” If this is the case, then parental influence and rights are of paramount importance because a child’s character is being formed in those years. It highlights a deeper truth found in this verse.
Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it.– Proverbs 22:6 (ESV) |
Interestingly, as I perused FFYF’s website I saw an article titled, “Underscoring President Biden’s Understanding that Child Care Is Infrastructure, New Proposal Includes Child Care Facilities Funding.”
It’s obvious the government understands that the earlier they have influence over children, the easier it will be to shape their character and values. Be warned however, that the government’s goals in this area include LGBTQ+ and Transgender ideology. These ideas are promoted in our public schools and could even be promoted in childcare if the Biden administration gets its way.
It is awesome to think that the impact of Moses’ life may have been determined early on by a godly mother despite the subsequent worldly influence of being brought up in Pharoah’s ungodly house.
Family Policy Alliance understands the importance of these early years, too, and that’s one reason that we work so hard to protect young children and their parents. In a sense, we are “boots on the ground,” here to affect policy in Rhode Island by working with legislators. Right now, we need your support in two areas.
FIRST – Please pray that God would call people of spiritual maturity and character from our churches to run for local and state offices in the next election.
SECONDLY – Please pray for consistent financial support, especially from Christian businesses that would enable us to have full-time leadership by the end of the year.
For Faith & Family in Rhode Island,
Dave Aucoin
Chairman, Board of Directors – Rhode Island
