Get out your magnifying glass

In a recent post, I mentioned how the people of Israel began complaining about their food and water situation barely a month after escaping from Egypt and witnessing God do amazing miracles on their behalf. This morning I was reflecting that Israel's quick shift from celebrating victory to moaning about the menu illustrates an unfortunate tendency of human nature: we often tend to focus on our difficulties and on what we lack,  rather than focusing on our blessings and on what God has already done for us. We focus on the obstacles rather than the opportunities - which causes our challenges to loom bigger, while our perception of God's goodness begins to shrink. Living a life of faith calls us to acknowledge this tendency and to partner with God to reverse it.

Some Bible translations use an interesting word in several of the psalms. Translating the Hebrew word gadal, they say:
Magnify the Lord with me and let's exalt His name together. (Ps 34: 3)
I will praise God's name in song and magnify Him with thanksgiving. (Ps 69: 30)

What happens when you look at something through a magnifying glass? You don't change anything about its reality; you just see it more clearly and can  appreciate it better. We all need to see the goodness of God more clearly! Looking at who God is and what He has done - through the magnifying glass of faith and thanksgiving - helps us also to see our own problems in perspective.

So, what if you're a "glass half empty" rather than a "glass half full" kind of person? What if you, like the Israelites, tend to focus on the negative rather than the positive? What kind of strategy will help you to get out your magnifying glass and begin to focus on God's goodness instead of on the hard things you face?

It's been said - by psychologists and social workers - that it takes at least 21 days / 3 weeks to begin establishing a new habit. Why not commit the next three weeks to intentionally magnifying the Lord instead of magnifying your challenges and problems? Like the psalmist says, in Psalm 69: 30, thankfulness can often play a key part in our learning to magnify the Lord. In your journal or notebook, why not take time every day to write down things you can be thankful for, and to focus on the good things God has given you in life?

If you like, you could download and print this page (click here to download), put it into your Bible, and use it for the next 21 days to write down the things you can be thankful for. It might be a challenge at first, but as your habit begins to change, you'll be amazed to discover how focusing on God's goodness helps put life's challenges and annoyances into perspective.