"The land we passed through and explored is exceedingly good. If the Lord is pleased with us, he will lead us into that land, a land flowing with milk and honey, and will give it to us." [Numbers 14:7-8]
In Numbers 13 and 14, Moses sends 13 men to explore the Promised Land of Canaan. Ten of them return describing the people who lived there as “strong” and the cities “fortified” (Numbers 13:28). They did not believe that the Israelites could defeat the men and were afraid. Meanwhile Caleb and Joshua, who also went, reported instead that the land was “exceedingly good” and that God “will bring us into this land and give it to us” (Numbers 14:7). Much like these men, we also interpret situations, experiences and events. Most of the time, however, we do it automatically; without even thinking about it. These “attribution biases” then influence how we respond – whether it is deciding to trust in God and therefore present an optimistic account to the Israelites like Caleb & Joshua did or being fearful and deciding to present a negative account like the 10 other spies did. Although we do this automatically, we also have the ability to reflect upon how we respond and with God's help choose differently. So, this week, as you go about your daily activities, reflect on your inner (and outer) thoughts. Are they positive, helpful or uplifting? Or are they negative, fearful and pessimistic? And if they are, reflect on how to change them. We'll be speaking to this more over the coming weeks.
Written and sourced by our Hospitality Leader, Ashleigh Crosilla (who is also a qualified Psychologist).