Heluhelu Baibala/Bible Reading

E ʻoiaʻiʻo nō, e mae wale ʻoe, ʻo ʻoe, a me kēia poʻe kānaka me ʻoe; no ka mea, ua kaumaha kēia mea iā ʻoe; ʻaʻole hiki iā ʻoe ke hana, ʻo ʻoe wale nō.- Pukaʻana 18:18

You and these people who come to you will only wear yourselves out. The work is too heavy for you; you cannot handle it alone.- Exodus 18:18

He Manaʻo o ke Kahu Manu Naeʻole, KS Kapālama

My first year at Whitworth was fun. I landed in Spokane and immediately got involved in various ministry opportunities. I participated in Young Life training, helped with an afterschool program, chipped in with a ministry to children living in an impoverished neighborhood, spent Saturday delivering sandwiches to the poor, and remained active in church and church Bible studies. It was a lot. As a nineteen-year-old, I struggled with saying no to opportunities and needed to learn the value of trusting others.

Moses has a lot on his plate in Exodus 18. God has called him to lead the people of Israel out of bondage in Egypt. He takes them into a desert where they grumble and complain to Moses about their lack of food and water (Exod 16:2, 3). They would complain and lament, yet seek counsel and advice from Moses (Exod 18:15-16). As Jethro watched Moses try to fulfill all the expectations imposed on him, Jethro gave Moses wise counsel. “The work is too heavy for you; you cannot handle it alone” (Exod 18:18). Jethro's words call people to an act of caring, but caring so much that we acknowledge we are not enough on our own.

As part of our Hawaiian identity, Kamehameha equips learners to understand mālama. Understanding mālama, the ability to care for others around us, means we know that proper care for the community can only happen when done alongside others. Moses could not care for his community by himself, neither could nineteen-year-old me manage Spokane on my own nor can any of us today care for the community of Hawaii alone. The Savior is here, and we are not him. May our understanding of mālama expand to know and trust God, who never leaves us alone to do His tasks for His glory. ʻĀmene.

TAGS
our faith,daily devotional,christian values

CATEGORIES
Kaipuolono Article, Themes, Culture, Community, Hawaii Newsroom, KS Hawaii Home, Kapalama Newsroom, Kapalama Home, Maui Newsroom, KS Maui Home, Newsroom, Kapalama, Maui, Preschools, Faith, Hawaii campus, Kapalama campus, Maui campus

Print with photos Print text only