Giants & Grasshoppers

Moses selects twelve spies, one from each tribe. They are sent on a mission to the Promised Land to learn the challenges they would face and the situation they would walk into. They were also asked to evaluate what type of farming options were available. This mission took them 40 days. (Numbers 13-14)

When they returned, they reported to Moses, Aaron, and the children of Israel. 10 of the spies told one story and the other two had a different idea. All 12 reported walls around the city, milk and honey in abundance, and large fruit. However, there was a difference in their perception of the people that were currently dwelling there. The 2 said that they had what they needed to “overcome” the people. However, the 10 reported that they were great in stature. They called the people giants, and then compared themselves to grasshoppers. After a night of crying and murmuring, the 10 convince the people to not confront the people in the Promised Land.

Then comes my favorite part of this story. The Lord goes to Moses and asks how long until the children of Israel believe me. Not believe IN me, but believe me. I am sure they believed in God. They had seen the miracles before they were free, including the parting of the Red Sea. Those miracles are hard to deny. However, the Lord asks, how long until they believe me. I wonder if he asks us the same question. We fret with the challenges we are asked to face. Does He ask himself how long until we believe Him. How often do we get in our own way and render ourselves spiritually paralyzed in our situations?

Are we believers? I found an amazing song by Calee Reed that portrays my thoughts on this subject. 

Believer

Help me to be the believer that I want to be

Want the things you want for me

When I’m lost along the way

Help me find patience in the moments

When it’s hard to see

Your hand guiding me

Help me get out of my own way

O Lord, help me believe

Help me to be the believer that I want to be 

Feel the things you feel for me

When the feeling doesn’t stay

Help me to see the things I don’t want to see

As your hand showing me

Help me Lord, I pray 

Oh Lord

Help me believe 

Give place to the voice that always questions 

Give voice to the pain, the fear, the doubt

Give way to the moments I am faithless 

I can’t let you I 

If I shut them out

Help me to be the believer that I want to be 

Give the things You’ve given me

The words You’d have me say

Help me to walk this path

That You’ve set for me

Help me walk with steady feet 

Help me get out of my own way 

Oh Lord

Help me believe

Help me to be the believer that I want to be

Want the things you want for me

When I’m lost along the way

Help me find patience in the moments

When it’s hard to see

Your hand guiding me

Help me get out of my own way

Oh Lord

Oh Lord 

Help me believe

What do you need to do to become the Believer that would follow the two? An interesting fact - the children of Israel wandered in the wilderness until the 10 spies that were wrong died. They never had the chance to enter the Promised Land. Can we believe?

Social media fast & the golden calf

For my Old Testament class this week, we read in Exodus 20 - 40 & Leviticus 1-10. {Yep - all of it! I am doing pretty good at reading all the required scripture!} Here are my thoughts:

In Exodus 32, Moses comes down from the mountain after receiving the 10 commandments and finds what you see in the picture above. We see how quick the people of Israel forgot God. Moses takes the golden calf and burns and has the children of Israel drink the golden calf. How do you think that tasted? I think his desire was for the people to see that when they worship false gods, it is unpleasant but when they turn to the Lord, it is a good experience. (I sure wish we could sometimes take our computers and burn them! There is so much filth on the Internet these days!)

Tonight, President Nelson held a fireside for the youth (12 - 18 years old) of the church and spoke to them about their mission. (Can we talk about how that man does NOT look 93?!?) He gave the youth a 5 step challenge. 1. A 7 day social media fast. 2. Weekly sacrifice of time to the Lord. 3. Keep on the covenant path. 4. Pray daily for all to receive the blessings of the gospel. 5. Stand out. Be different. Be a light. So, our family decided to all join in on the social media fast. We have deleted all social media apps from our phones. Maggie doesn't have social media, so she decided to do a 7 day fast from her phone and YouTube. (This is HUGE!!) I wish the older 2 were going to be home this week. (They'll be in San Diego with our 12-14 boy youth group.) I look forward to seeing how this will change the dynamics in our home! 

How do these things mesh? Well, what does the golden calf symbolize? I would say it's a distraction from what is most important. Throughout our lives our golden calf will change shape, color, and size. However, it is what is keeping us from praying more, serving more, spending more time in the scriptures, spending more time with our families, and doing our callings. I think that social media is a HUGE golden calf for some and not so big, but still there, for others. One of my boys is obsessed with watching all the sports clips on Instagram (can you guess who it is?) while another one only has Snap Chat for school projects. (Please don't lecture me about snapchat....I know!) However, there is a golden calf or two in all of our lives, not matter what size, shape, or color it is right now.

The question is this: what are you willing to do to burn that golden calf and cleanse yourself of that influence in your life? With the golden calf gone, we can start to focus more on fulfilling our mission instead of wasting our time on Pinterest, Instagram, or Facebook (or books, or sports, or exercise...) Care to join us on our 7 day media fast? I am choosing to: delight in the words of the prophet, delight in quiet time, delight in my scriptures, delight in my family....