Getting back into the swing of things this morning isn't as easy as it sounds. We got a free breakfast at the motel we were staying at which I don't normally do and now my tummy is saying feed me. So with the grrrowl in the back ground Amy and I had a wonderful time at our annual Ministers Conference. We got to learn some new stuff and grow personally. One of the takeaways from my devotions this week is this, "We Can Do it!." Think about Caleb & Joshua for a moment...After seeing the giants in the Promised Land, ten of Israel’s twelve spies came back and said, ‘It can’t be done.’ But the other two, Joshua and Caleb, said, ‘It can.’ But because of Israel’s unbelief, Caleb had been forced to spend forty more years wandering through the wilderness. Can you imagine the time wasted in these two lives. By the time the Israelites crossed the Jordan River they were almost eighty years old. Then another seven years passed before the various tribes of Israel were assigned land to occupy. Here’s how Caleb described it all, years later: ‘I was forty years old when Moses…sent me…to explore the land. And I brought him back a report according to my convictions, but my fellow Israelites who went up with me made the hearts of the people melt in fear. I, however, followed the Lord my God wholeheartedly.’ (Joshua 14:7–8 NIV) If you’ve a negative attitude when you’re 40, there’s a good chance you’ll have one when you’re 85. Actually, there’s a good chance you won’t even make it to 85! Psychologist Martin Seligman studied several hundred people in a religious community; he divided them into quartiles, ranging from the most to the least optimistic. 90% of the optimists were alive at 85, while just 34% of the naysayers made it to the same age. Twelve spies went out, but only Joshua and Caleb had the faith to say, ‘We can do it.’ And over 45 years later Caleb and Joshua were as feisty as ever! Want to guess what happened to the other ten spies? They died. None of them made it to Caleb and Joshua's age. It’s as simple as this: faith and optimism can add years to your life. So say it with me: "We Can Do It!"
You are Loved!
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