Remember the Beginning

Moses said to the people, “Remember this day on which you came out of Egypt, out of the house of slavery; no leavened bread shall be eaten. Today, in the month of Abib, you are going out. When the [Sovereign] brings you into a land flowing with milk and honey, you shall keep this observance in this month.” – Exodus 13:3-5 (NRSV, abridged)

The ancient Israelites resided in Egypt for four hundred thirty years (Exodus 12:40). That’s four hundred thirty years of separation from their ancestral home. Four hundred thirty years of agony and violence. Four hundred thirty years of bearing down through the pain just to survive. Four hundred thirty years of generational trauma.

Four hundred thirty years that could not be “fixed” in one day.

And yet on that day when Pharaoh said “Go!” and the people fled Egypt, Moses instructed them, “Remember this day.” Remember this one day in this one particular month. Remember this day when healing began. Remember this day when freedom started its journey. Remember this one day when the food tasted different, when time seemed to stand still, when new possibilities broke open before you.

Remember the beginning.

When the land is dry and your tongue cries out for milk. When your feet are weary and your skin thirsts for oil. When your soul imagines a bitter end and your heart does not remember the taste of honey.

Remember the beginning.

At the beginning, God strengthened you against fear and doubt, despite all the hardships you had known. You had every reason to avoid risk, to stay with the familiar, but God drew you out into the beautiful unknown. Even when the unknown is overwhelming, even when trouble finds you, you will remember the story of what is possible.

And when you reach the end in all its satisfaction, remember and celebrate the beginning through which God brought you here.

Prayer
When I forget the story, O God, tell it to me again from the beginning.

About the Author
Rachel Hackenberg serves on the national staff for the United Church of Christ. She is the author of Writing to God and the co-author of Denial Is My Spiritual Practice, among other titles. Her blog is Faith and Water.