For all you control freaks: it’s time to learn to delegate, not micromanage.

In Exodus 18:13-26, Jethro meets up again with Moses and sees his son-in-law working morning to night listening to everyone’s problems as judge. Jethro asks Moses why he’s doing it all alone. Moses says the people who need God come to him. When they have a dispute, they come to him to judge and hear God’s laws.

But Jethro worried Moses would wither away, as would the people, because this job was too much for one man. One interpretation notes that the Hebrew word for “wither” “navol tibol” includes the same letters as “confused” “bilbul” – remember the Tower of Babel? Jethro was concerned not only with Moses and the people withering away, but also that God’s teachings could become confused – with only one person, Moses, passing judgment from morning to night, wearing himself down. He needed help.

Jethro set up a system to convert Moses from micro-manager to delegator. Moses would represent the people before God and impart to the Israelites the laws and teachings.

Moses needed to find capable, trustworthy men who fear God and who hate ill-gotten wealth. These men would be ministers over thousands, hundreds, fifties and tens. They would be able to judge the people, reserving the major disputes for Moses. In this way, Moses’ burden would be shared with others, thus allowing Moses a breather, and shift his job from a sprint to a marathon.

So next time you have that project you think nobody but you can handle, remember Moses and the important job he had: teaching God’s laws to the children of Israel.