Jochebed’s story hit me differently because I’m a mom.

She loved Moses, protected him, hid him, and did everything she could to keep him safe. But eventually, she reached a point where she couldn’t control what happened next.

And I understand that feeling.

As a mom, I want to protect my children from everything. I want to keep them from making mistakes, experiencing heartbreak, being hurt by people, or walking through things I know could change them.

But the older my children get, the more I realize I can’t.

There are places in their lives where my hands simply cannot reach.

And that’s hard.

Jochebed eventually had to place Moses in that basket and release him. But what stood out to me is that she didn’t just throw him into the river and hope for the best.

She prepared the basket. She protected him the best way she knew how. She did her part.

Then she trusted God with the rest.

I think that’s something God continues to teach me in motherhood.

Surrender doesn’t mean I stop being their mom.

I can still guide them. Pray for them. Speak truth to them. Love them. Protect them when I can.

But I also have to recognize when I’m trying to carry something that belongs in God’s hands.

I’ve walked through enough as a mother to know how badly we can wish we could rewrite parts of our children’s stories. There are things I would have protected mine from if I could have. There are moments I wish I could go back and change.

But I can’t.

What I can do is trust that God is still present in their stories.

Jochebed saw a baby floating away in a basket.

God saw Moses.

She couldn’t see the man he would become or everything God would eventually do through his life.

And that reminds me that I only see one chapter of my children’s lives at a time.

God sees the whole story.

So maybe motherhood isn’t about holding on tightly enough to make sure nothing ever goes wrong.

Maybe part of motherhood is learning when to open my hands and say:

God, I have done what I can. Now I need You to go where I cannot.

Because my children may be mine to love, guide, and protect.

But they have always belonged to Him first.