Lessons From DeuteronomyPrøve

Notice your blessings too One of the personal characteristics that I really don’t like about myself is how quickly I notice pains and troubles and problems (about which I then grumble) and how slowly I notice blessings, help, and opportunities for praise. I am one with the Israelites during their wilderness march. They complained constantly (see the Bible’s book of Numbers). And it wasn’t as if their hardships were imaginary. To the contrary! Their journey was hard on everybody. Camping for decades with several million other people in close proximity sounds like no fun to me. I would probably have failed some of God’s tests too, like panicking when there was no water. Moses led the people well. He reminded them of the horrible slavery and genocide that they had escaped in Egypt. He celebrated their steady, miraculous manna food supply. And he reminded them gently: “Your clothes did not wear out and your feet did not swell during these forty years” (Deuteronomy 8:4). His hearers probably looked at their clothes and their friends’ clothes and said, “By George, now that you mention it, I am still wearing the same tunic and cloak from 40 years ago. And hey—so are you!” Notice your blessings too. Did you escape a major car repair this year? Were you spared an expensive hospital stay? Are your children all alive? Do you have a telephone? Does a machine wash your clothes? Does God still love you? Does heaven await?