Joshua son of Nun and Caleb son of Jephunneh, who were among those who had explored the land, tore their clothes and said to the entire Israelite assembly, “The land we passed through and explored is exceedingly good.”
One of the world’s largest shoe manufacturers sent two market researchers, independent of each other, to an underdeveloped nation to find out whether that country was a viable market for them. The first researcher sent a telegram to the home office that said “No market here. Nobody wears shoes.” The second researcher sent a telegram back home that said, “Unlimited potential here—nobody has any shoes!”
I’m sure the second researcher went on his trip expecting to send good news to his employer—and he did. He could have viewed the fact that everyone he saw was barefoot as an obstacle or a challenge, as the other researcher did, and then his attitude would have been negative. But because he anticipated the best, he saw the situation in a positive light.
ln any situation, the habit of negative expectation needs to be broken. Twelve spies went into Canaan to see if it would be good for the Israelites. Ten spies gave a negative report because giants would need to be defeated for God’s people to enter the land. But Joshua and Caleb gave a positive report focused on the goodness of the land and their trust that God would lead the Israelites into it. Life holds many challenges, but most of them can be overcome with a positive outlook that expects the best and trusts God.
Prayer of the Day: Father God, I really need Your help to see challenges as opportunities. I want to maintain a positive outlook, and trust You in every situation, amen.
