We’ve all heard the old adage above. There is, however, some truth to it. Take for example the situation in which Israel found itself in Numbers 13 & 14. They had left Egypt, they had been to Mt. Sinai, and now were at the borders of the Promised Land of Canaan. Before they would enter, they were to send 12 spies to survey the land. When they came back from their journey, an interesting exchange occurred.
10 spies returned with the report, the Land “truly flows with milk and honey,” (Numbers 13:27). But their conclusion was not so bright: “We are not able to go up…” (13:31). The other 2 spies, Caleb and Joshua, came with the same report, but a different outlook: “We are well able to overcome it” (13:30). Take note: these men were of the same nation, religion, were all leaders of their respective tribes, had great influence over their brethren, spied out the same land, and saw the same people inhabiting the land, yet their conclusions were totally different. How can two groups surrounded by the same circumstances come to such opposite conclusions? It seems a glaring difference was Attitude.
Remember what these men had seen. They had all heard the promise of God, given 400 years earlier to Abraham, that He would give them this very land. They then watched God fulfill His promise by bringing them out of Egypt, with all the accompanying miracles and wonders. They then experienced His goodness and care while He gave them food, water, direction and protection in battle, essentially tending to their every need. So they had ample evidence of the positive things God had done and could do for them. But what was their problem? When they looked at the land, and saw a possible hindrance, the powerful people of the land, they totally forgot about all of that. They let one small molehill of a problem take all of their focus, thus causing them to be blind to all power of God. They let one small trial, because of their negative attitude, essentially ruin their lives, for they would never enter the land.
Joshua and Caleb on the other hand, didn’t let one small speed bump take their attention off of the positive. Rather, they focused on what God had done and had promised. Their reason for their confidence? “If the Lord delights in us, He will bring us into the land” (14:8). That’s it—If He did it before, He will do it again. The lesson? If we focus all of our attention on the small trials, it blinds us from His blessings and goodness. Some have let little things worry them literally to death. Others, with seemingly no hope in our eyes, live happy, fulfilled lives. Why? Simple—Attitude.