Let Pharoh Go

My husband, The Engineer, brings home church bulletins every Sunday. I may not want to go to church, but I like to know what's going on. After I rolled out of bed around 3:30 yesterday afternoon, I wandered downstairs to ask him about the sermon, which was intriguingly titled, "Let Pharoh Go." I thought I knew what it meant, but I wanted to know more.

Well, The Engineer said, you know that came to Moses, right? Yes, yes, I went to Sunday School when I was a kid. And, he continued, God said that Moses must go to Pharoh and tell him, "Let my people go. They have responsibilities to me." After many days and many threats [major paraphrasing here], Pharoh let the Israelites go but that's not where the story ends. The former slaves, instead of appreciating their freedom, complained to Moses about the tough conditions in the wilderness. They thought they were better off under Pharoh's rule, and even asked, "What? Are all the graves in Egypt full, that you had to bring us out here to die?" They had to let go of Pharoh, so that they could instead serve God.

The point? We have to get rid of whatever's in our way, whatever it is that keeps us from God, or, in more secular terms, from becoming the person we were always meant to be. Sometimes, nothing is holding us back but our own doubts and fears.

Ah, I said, when The Engineer finished his tale. And did the good reverend tell you how to let go of Pharoh, I asked. The Engineer thought. No, he finally said, he didn't.

No, they never do, do they? Imagine a woman in love with herself. Imagine a woman in love with herself. Imagine a woman...