Grasshopper or Cookie Monster

Perspective has to do with point of view,
It’s the lens that you see the world through.
It greatly determines how well you do,
And will set your free, if it is true.

Get it wrong,
Sing a sad song,
And mope around all day long,
Corrupted vision, hinders lifelong.

Get it right,
Walk in the light,
Be filled with might,
And Delight!
Because you know your future’s bright.

You have the power to choose the way you see,
And determine how your life will be.
So with the lowly darkness will you agree,
Or have the higher view of the Almighty?


Matt 6:22-23
22 "The lamp of the body is the eye. If therefore your eye is good, your whole body will be full of light. 23 But if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in you is darkness, how great is that darkness!
NKJV

Luke 11:34-36
34 The lamp of the body is the eye. Therefore, when your eye is good, your whole body also is full of light. But when your eye is bad, your body also is full of darkness. 35 Therefore take heed that the light which is in you is not darkness. 36 If then your whole body is full of light, having no part dark, the whole body will be full of light, as when the bright shining of a lamp gives you light."
NKJV

When it came time for Israel to possess the promise land they sent in twelve men to spy it out. For God had said, “Look, the Lord your God has set the land before you; go up and possess it, as the Lord God of your fathers has spoken to you; do not fear or be discouraged.” (Deut 1:21) But ten of the twelve men came back from the mission with grasshopper mentality. They gave a bad report and said, “We are not able to go up against the people for they are stronger than we.” and “we were like grasshoppers in our own sight, and so we were in their sight." And they complained saying, "If only we had died in the land of Egypt! Or if only we had died in this wilderness! Why has the Lord brought us to this land to fall by the sword, that our wives and children should become victims?” They had their eyes on themselves and not the Almighty and so their puny perspective caused them to perish. Everyone in their entire generation except Joshua and Caleb ended up dying in the wilderness. And it was because they couldn’t see things the way God saw them and so couldn’t possess His promises. Because of the way that they saw they said “we can’t!” and so they couldn’t.

But Joshua and Caleb had a different perspective for they said, “"Let us go up at once and take possession, for we are well able to overcome it." And “If the Lord delights in us, then He will bring us into this land and give it to us, 'a land which flows with milk and honey.' Only do not rebel against the Lord, nor fear the people of the land, for they are our bread; their protection has departed from them, and the Lord is with us. Do not fear them." And because of the way that they saw they said, “We can!” and so they could and they did. They only had to wait for all the naysayers to die and resist the puny perspective of the majority. They had to persist with the proper perspective through forty years of funerals in order to possess God’s promise.

One group said, “We were like grasshoppers” and ended up dead, while the others said, “they are our bread” and on the enemy fed. The victims looked at themselves and declared discouragement. But the victors looked at God and declared the victory. This is probably where we get the saying, “Those who say they can’t and those who say they can are both right.” And what say you depends on your sight.

Num 13:16 – 14:38

You can also read 1 Samuel Chapter 17. It’s another great story illustrating the effect of perspective.

The men of the armies of Israel were full of fear and dismay,
when a boy with God’s view point came, and their giant slay.

Matt 13:15-16
15 For this people's heart is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes they have closed; lest at any time they should see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and should understand with their heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them.

16 But blessed are your eyes, for they see: and your ears, for they hear.
KJV

Ps 36:9
9 For with thee is the fountain of life: in thy light shall we see light.
KJV