1.5 | Challenge Accepted

Ketchup and Mustard, Peanut Butter and Jelly, Tia and Tamera...tune in to this week's episode as Charnelle unveils a rare dynamic duo that will make you take a look at how you show up in purpose ON purpose.

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Hey everybody! Welcome back to another episode of the Leah Effect. I am your host, Sharnell, and we are really in the thick of the season of the Slept On. Okay? We have been hitting the ground running with our deep-cut characters, some of our forgotten goodies, and some people we've learned about for the first time ever. And that's fine. You know, we've learned about Leah, Gideon, Shamgar, the Shunamite woman, and today, of course, we're adding to the list a dynamic duo, if you will. Okay, you have peanut butter and jelly, salt and pepper, the condiments, or the rap group, whichever floats your boat. Tia and Tamara, Mary Mary, we need a reunion, ASAP, Norachi. And now you can add Shifra and Pua. Yes, we're finally talking about them, right? Right. We just have to get comfortable saying it. So I'm gonna give you a couple of seconds to like get comfortable with it. Shifra and Pua, Shifra and Pua, Shifra and Pua. The more you say it, it's either gonna sound more natural or sound weird. It's like that episode of How I Met Your Mother when Ted just kept saying bowl in different inflections, just to see like how it would sound over time. But like, you get the gist, okay? Shifra and Pua. Let's get into it. Allow me to set the scene. Join me in the book of Exodus, chapter one. The meaning of the word Exodus literally means departure or exit. So we open up this book and chapter by naming off the list of Jacob's sons who went to Egypt with their families: Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, Zebulun, Benjamin, Dan, Naphtali, Gad, and Asher. In total, there's about 70 descendants. And we can't forget Joseph. Yes, the one with the coat of many colors, who went from the pit to the prison, to the palace. He's already in Egypt, because he's a high-ranking government official. Okay, actually second in command of all of the land, who only answered to one man, Pharaoh. But at this time, Joseph and all his brothers and everyone in the familial generation has died. But the Israelites, Jacob's descendants, were extremely fruitful. Yeah. They grew in number and size. So much so the land was filled with them. Now, there's a new king on the scene who knows absolutely nothing about Joseph. Like the man's story means nothing to him. One day he looks out on the land occupied by the many Israelites and says, Look, there are too many Israelites here for us. We have to deal with this quickly, or they'll outnumber us. And if war breaks out, they'll join our enemies, they'll fight against us and escape. And he clearly says this because he can't have that happen. So he puts specific orders in place. They, being the Egyptian government, has slave masters oppressing the Israelites with forced labor. They, the Egyptian government, create cities specifically built for Pharaoh by the hands of the Israelites. They, being the Egyptian government, made the lives of the Israelites a living nightmare. The scripture says, bitter, by enforcing back-breaking labor in brick and mortar and in fieldwork. The Egyptian government ruled over the Israelites mercilessly. And what I essentially just described to y'all is the first three minutes of the Prince of Egypt without the phenomenal music of Han Zimmer. Y'all just have me instead. Okay? I hope you enjoy it. But in spite of the oppressive regime of the Egyptians, the Israelites continued to grow in number. The king of Egypt said to the Hebrew midwives, whose names were Shifra and Puah, that when they are helping to deliver the children of the Hebrew woman, if it's a boy, you have to kill him. And if it's a girl, let them live. Shifra and Puah. The Hebrew midwives feared God and did not do what the king of Egypt asked, which was essentially to commit a nationwide infanticide. They let the boys live. Now the number of Israelites continued to grow, and the king of Egypt, or Pharaoh, you know, interchangeably, noticed this. So he calls them back to the palace and asks them, What's the deal? What's going on? Why have you done this? Why are you letting the boys live? And Shifra and Puah answered, and they said to Pharaoh, Listen, Hebrew women are not like the Egyptian women. Okay? They're vigorous, and that baby pops out before we even arrive. Which is true. No one's telling a lie here. Okay? God was kind to the midwives and gave them families of their own. So after all of this, then Pharaoh gives another order to the people saying, Every Hebrew boy that is born must be thrown into the Nile River. Do y'all know what's in the Nile River other than water? Nile crocodiles. Hungry, hungry hippos. Tiger fish. What's tigerfish? A five-foot-long fish with 32 razor-sharp teeth weighing about 150 pounds. And you are putting defenseless babies in that river. Yeah, the Prince of Egypt didn't show all of that. It showed rough waters. It showed that the tide is high and he's holding on. And in the chapters to come, we find that one of the baby boys that was delivered, or rather not really delivered, because again, they pop out so quickly in the home, was Moses, the deliverer of the Israelites. And when he was too big to be hidden amongst his community and in his own home, his mother placed him in a basket and put him in the Nile River and was rescued by who? Pharaoh's daughter, no less. The women responsible for bringing life into the world, delivering healthy, beautiful babies, and ensuring safe deliveries for their mothers, were called, directed, and commanded to do the very opposite of what their calling was. Wherein they stood in the face of their opponent and challenged it. The Shifra and Puwa effect is what happens when you have the courage to be the challenger. Look at what really happens here. Okay, let's make this personal. If you don't show up and what you know you are called to do, metaphorically speaking, what is being killed that could have been the answered prayer? Okay, what I'm not doing here is dismissing the very real feeling of fear and uncertainty as to what the result will be when you do challenge. But I constantly think of like, okay. Zoro Neil Hurston has a quote that I read and reflect on every New Year's Eve. The quote is: there are some years that ask questions and some years that answer them. Now, I want to reformat this question into this specific line of thinking. In some seasons and circumstances, we are the solution. Right? We are the shamgar, if you will. But in other seasons, we are the catalysts, which bring the answer to life, much like Shifra and Pua. The meaning of these women's names help to illustrate their purpose. There are some scholars that believe that Shifra's name means pleasing, fair, calm, and harmonious. And Pua means radiant and soothing. Most, if not all, of these adjectives would be great descriptors of a midwife, no? Whose literal job is to bring life into the world. What an honor that is. What a call, what a divine charge. Let this be a reminder that you are what you need to be to do what you are called to do. In Jesus' name, in the name of justice, in the name of what is good, what is fair, and what is right. Doing the right thing can be the hard thing. But shout out to Christ, where in his strength we can do all things. Paul writes that in his letter to the Philippians, and he tells them, hey, yo, I've lived a life. Like, I've been in need, I've been in surplus, I've learned through it all, words of Andre Grouch, how to be content in any circumstance. Starving or full, in little and in much, in valleys or on mountaintops. I can do it. I can do it all through him who gives me strength. Strength to stand up, strength to overcome, strength in season, strength out of season, strength on my good days, strength on my bad days. And the strength that we find in him will give us the courage and the boldness to be the challenger. What is waiting to be born by our hands, by our gifts, by our God-given strength that hasn't come yet because we're afraid to challenge the hard thing. Even when we know deep in our heart of hearts that it's the right thing to challenge. Someone's waiting to rise up because of your challenge, because of your boldness, because of your obedience. Get up. Stand up, sister, stand up, my brother. Let's go. There is a Moses waiting to be born. A Moses waiting to arrive. But he will never get here if you never choose to challenge. And that's the Shifra and Pua effect. We made it to the end of another effect. Can you believe it? Wow, wow, wow, wow, wow, wow, wow, wow, wowza. Oh my goodness. Wow. And if I'm being honest, this has been one of the harder episodes to get through for me. I feel. Um, sometimes, if not most times, it's easier to go with the flow of things. But one thing that I've learned in life, and through this good book, and in the red letters that Jesus speaks, is that disruption is necessary. Jesus does not speak about the peacekeepers, he speaks about the peacemakers. But, but, but, but that is me going on a different tangent. For now, let's just sit and reflect on the women that are Shifra and Puwa. Okay? Rise up. Be the challenger. Overcome the hard thing. Because it's the right thing. Alright. Am I? We are five episodes into the first season of the Leah effect, and what a time it has been. But can I share something with you? Can I give you a little spoiler alert? Our next episode will be the season finale. Yes, yes. Put it in your calendars. Do not miss this. Tell your friends. Have a listening party. Have a podcast club about it. A podcast club is like a book club, but with podcasts. This one specifically. Okay, so spread the word. I would love to know who has been your favorite character we've discussed so far, what's been resonating with you the most. So do not be shy. Let me know. Follow the podcast on Instagram at underscore the Leah Effect. And also subscribe to our YouTube channel, The Leah Effect. And don't forget, there is always more to the story. And the effects are truly endless. Catch you next time.