Dear Lighthouse,
I
have been doing a lot of complaining recently. You have not heard it from me,
but Julie has. Since we moved I have not been able to catch up on things. I have this to do, I have that to unpack and I am busy here and busy there! This week as I work evenings I am frustrated at not being able to take care of things at home.
But
something reminded me today (perhaps it was one of Keegan’s 100 plastic snakes) of the Israelites and how prone they
were to complaining in the midst of blessings. We can pick up the story in Numbers
21. Right after a major victory the LORD provided to Israel they became impatient
with God’s direction and progress. They began to complain and grumble in
the desert, “There is no bread! There is no water! And we detest this miserable food!” These charges were
without merit. God Himself had provided food, water and victory. So, He sent poisonous snakes among them and many were bitten and died.
This was a judgment and discipline from God. The people then confessed
their sin and Moses spoke to the LORD for them. He was told, “make a snake
and put it up on a pole; anyone who is bitten can look at it and live.” This
was mercy and a way of escape offered by God - true to His character. Moses followed
God’s instruction and the Israelites were saved again. A lesson was learned;
God continued to shape His people.
I
guess I fall into the same trap as those Israelites. God has blessed me (and
you too) with overflowing material blessings, security, creation’s beauty, and above all spiritual blessings beyond
measure! So, basically, I find myself complaining because I am forgetting what
riches I have in God the Father and I’m focusing on temporary and meaningless inconveniences. I better watch out for snakes…
John
the Baptist didn’t have vision problems. In John 3:14-15 (a passage those
of you who are reading daily will soon cover) John recalls this account from Moses and points out how Jesus parallels the
snake that the people looked to for safety. “Just as Moses lifted up the
snake in the desert, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, that everyone who believes in Him may have eternal life.” So, as the snake (by God’s power) protected the life of those who looked on
it, Jesus gives eternal life for those that fix their eyes on Him. Like Moses’
snake, Christ was lifted up on a cross for the benefit of all mankind. If we
would only look to Him we would be free from the worry, fear, and irritation caused by so many of the “snakes”
in our daily lives. But it requires our effort and commitment to look to Him.
Here’s
what I’ve found. If you fix your eyes on Him - remembering the blessings
we have in store for those who believe and follow Him - then the little irritations in life seem smaller. Forrest Gump might say, “Life is like a box of chocolates.
You never know what you’re gonna’ get. But God will see you
through the bad and the good.”
Fix your eyes on Christ.