THE GRASSHOPPER MENTALITY
There are two types of people- those who see problems, and those who find solutions. The situation might be the same, but the perspective is starkly contrasting. Consequently, the former always miss out, while the latter accomplish great things.
When Moses sent out 12 spies to bring back a report on Canaan, which the Lord had already promised to the Israelites, 10 of them came back and said, “all the people we saw there are of great size……we seemed like grasshoppers in our own eyes, and we looked the same to them.” (Numbers 13:32,33)
When the scouted the land, they saw that the descendants were of great size, which likely was true. However they dwelt on the problem and exacerbated it manifold. They quickly concluded that Canaan could not be taken. Soon the problem was inflated to describe themselves as grasshoppers, which was a stretch of the imagination, to say the least. Then they went beyond what they were sent to do and spread a bad report in the camp and caused a rebellion against Moses and the Lord.
This is the grasshopper mentality, which plagues many people. Confronted by problems, which are common to every person, they quickly conclude that they are grasshoppers, ready to be crushed by the problems they face. They lose courage and the will to go on and succumb to the problems, and in doing so, are prevented from claiming the blessing which could be theirs. Interestingly, the ten spies conclude their above statement by saying, “…….and we looked the same to them.” (Numbers 13:33) The moment a person concludes that he is a grasshopper, others around him arrive at the same opinion. The way you look at your self is the way others look at you and this further compounds your weakness.
Totally different was the report given by Caleb and Joshua, who saw exactly the same things the others saw. “Only do not rebel against the Lord, and do not be afraid of the people of the land, because we will swallow them up. Their protection is gone, but the Lord is with us. Do not be afraid of them.” (Numbers 14:9) The great difference for these two was that that they had faith. They believed that the Lord was on their side and that he could keep his word and help them overcome the problem they had before them. Hence they were eventually able to enter the land promised to them, whereas the doubters perished in the desert.
Embracing the grasshopper mentality is a choice. Those who adopt it will make themselves appear like grasshoppers to others and eventually will make that their destiny. Embracing faith is the contrasting choice, one that leads to victory and abundance.
