"And Pharaoh’s daughter said to her, “Take this child away and nurse him for me, and I will give you your wages.” So the woman took the child and nursed him.” (Exodus 2:9, ESV)

Sometimes we have to let go to get back -- give away to receive again. In Exodus, Moses' mother, after three months of hiding baby Moses from the Egyptian authorities, determined that she could no longer protect her child. She made a little ark, a basket covered with bitumen and pitch, put it in the reeds of the Nile River, and hoped that Pharaoh's daughter would find it. She let go of her child, and she let go of her son.

But God sovereignly took care of the details. When Pharaoh's daughter heard Moses crying, she sent a servant to collect him. When she saw him, she was moved with compassion. She took Moses into our own home. Then Meriam, Moses' older sister, who had been watching from afar, popped out and offered, "Would you like me to find a Hebrew woman to nurse this child?" Yes, please.

Pharaoh's daughter then paid Moses's mom to take care of baby Moses. She let Moses go and received him back again. She let go, and she got back.

This is the way of Christ. He calls us - if we have an overemphasis upon caring about what our families think and how our families define us - to let go. He calls us - if we are overly interested in self-definition and looking inward to find out who we really are - to let go. And as we let go and begin looking up to God, we get back and find out who we really are. And we get a real family from him.

Sometimes we have to let go to get back from the Lord.