When the Israelites were going from Egypt to the Promised Land that God had prepared for them, spies were sent into the land to see what it was like. They did indeed find that the land was flowing with milk and honey. It was filled with abundant fruit and cultivated pastures to be an incredible provision from God. Yet the men also saw that there were “giants in the land,” and so they became “as grasshoppers” in their own sight (Numbers 13:33).
Instead of focusing on God’s provision, ten of the men focused on their fears and what seemed to them like an impossibility. The Israelites chose to listen to the voice of discouragement, and to reject the wonderful place that God had prepared for them. They complained and even wanted to appoint a leader who would take them back to Egypt. Because of their grumbling spirits, God rebuked the people and condemned them to wander for forty years in the desert wilderness.
What a magnificent lesson this is to us as moms! There will always be giants in our land. There will always be things that could potentially threaten to overwhelm us. We have to make the choice to believe in God, and in His ability and desire to provide for us.
When we do, we will be freed to celebrate His goodness. We can trust Him to lead us into His generous provision, or else we can allow life to demoralize us. If we choose the latter, we will give our children a model of complaining and grumbling, rather than faith and trust.
When we choose to practice praise, joy, and love, we then find that we experience the love of God to a greater degree in our own lives. He is there, walking in the garden of our lives, looking for us to see Him and to respond and walk with Him in His providing love.
In order to see Him, we must turn our eyes and hearts to Him, and seek to listen to Him in our souls. When we do, we validate for our children and ourselves the reality of His joy.
A mother who gives her children a heart to celebrate God’s life and beauty gives a gift of life. She is helping her children draw joy from their lives and memories that will bring them strength and pleasure all their days.
Read more about this in Your Mom Walk With God.
