Rethinking our Aspirations for self and children

Scripture passage that caught my attention today: Judges 5:28-30 “Out of the window she peered,
the mother of Sisera gazed through the lattice:
‘Why is his chariot so long in coming?
Why tarry the hoofbeats of his chariots?’
29 Her wisest ladies make answer,
indeed, she answers the question herself:
30 ‘Are they not finding and dividing the spoil?—
A girl or two for every man;
spoil of dyed stuffs for Sisera,
spoil of dyed stuffs embroidered,
two pieces of dyed work embroidered for my neck as spoil?’

Observation: Background: Sisera was an opposing king. His army was routed and he himself was killed by a woman when he sought refuge in her tent. The woman (Jael) was hailed as a hero because Sisera himself had been cruel to toward the Israelites. Also of note, another woman was a hero in this story as well. The judge Deborah had led the Israelites against Sisera. The passage above is actually part of a celebration song sung by Deborah and a fellow warrior name Barak after Sisera had been killed. My question of observation today, however, is from Sisera’s mother’s perspective and, indeed, the mothers of almost all powerful people of ancient times. Did mothers really want their children to be kings?

Application: With precious few exceptions, most kings of ancient times died from something other than natural causes. The quickest way to become king was to be the commander of an army that defeated (which usually meant ‘killed’) another king…and on and on the cycle continued. To be a king is to be a target, an object of focus. Did mothers really want their children to be kings, knowing full well that with such power comes almost sure and certain danger? It’s somewhat strange that Deborah, who quite possibly was a mother herself, sang a song that celebrates the purported grief of another woman. Odd. But it does perhaps serve as a reminder that every calling, be it considered high or low, brings with it a variety of blessings and curses. Hence we might want to consider carefully our aspirations for ourselves and, if we’re so blessed, for our children.

Prayer: Lord, we are often encouraged to have aspirations in life and yet, sometimes, those aspirations are either misguided or come with drawbacks of which we may not be aware. Help us to focus more on your call(s) on our life than our own. It’s not likely to spare us from grief or other hardship, but it will at least offer the comfort of knowing (or at least hoping!) that we are working with you rather than against you. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

(Readings today included: Judges 4-5, Psalm 39 & 41, and 1 Corinthians 13)