The Grasshopper Mentality

The greatest disservice you can do to your self is to look down on yourself. Many times we think that other people are better than we are. We feel that we do not measure up. We constantly measure our progress with theirs and we panic. Oh, they are better than I. They have more degrees and certifications than I have. They are from a rich home. They have a bigger house than I have. They have children and I do not. They are married and I am not. My nose is too big, I am not pretty enough, etc. When uninhibited, these ‘not good enough’ thoughts can damage our confidence and self esteem.

Gideon, one of the judges of the nation of Israel had issues in this regard. When God came calling on him to lead the army of Israel against the Midianites who had oppressed and impoverished them for years, he sold himself short. He said “Oh my Lord, how can I save Israel? Indeed my clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my father’s house.” (Judges 6:16, NKJV)) Like some of us, Gideon celebrated his weaknesses or disadvantages a little bit too much. His clan was the weakest and he was the least in his immediate family. Surely this is not the kind of lineage that the stuff of deliverers is enlisted from, he may have thought. In that moment he may have compared himself with the likes of Moses, Joshua, Prophet Samuel etc, and concluded he was unfit for the role. We must remember that anytime we enter the ring of comparison we will come up short. It is written, “But when they measure themselves by one another and compare themselves with one another, they are without understanding” (2Cor 10:12, ESV)

Also Gideon was tired of trying. Anytime they arose to rebuild their lives, their enemies came in their droves and destroyed it all. They take one step forward and the next minute they were pushed backwards by ten! When you have been knocked down by life too many times, staying on the ground becomes a temptation. When your past failures and seeming disadvantages join forces in your mind, a bright future would be hard to conceive. That was why Jehovah God had to help father Abraham. One day, He told Abraham, “Lift your eyes now and look from the place where you are – northward, southward, eastward and westward, for all the land which you see I give to you and your descendants forever.” (Gen 13:14-15,NKJV) Basically, what God was saying to Abraham was, “use your imagination.” Imagination is “the ability to form pictures in your mind” (Cambridge Advanced Learner’s Dictionary & Thesaurus (Cambridge United Press) Until you “see” or imagine a bright future, you will never live it. How far you see is how far you go.

The world is full of success stories and failure stories. You and I have to make up our minds on which side of the divide we belong. At the threshold of inheriting their promised land, Caleb and Joshua made up their minds to take all that God had promised in spite of the obvious difficulties. On the other hand, their colleagues only saw their weaknesses and disadvantages. They saw themselves as grasshoppers in comparison with the strength of the inhabitants of the land. (See Numbers 13) This is the story of our lives. Every day we will be faced with the choice to trust God or trust our circumstances. No matter the disadvantages and negative experiences we’ve had in the past, we need to lift our eyes to the Lord and believe in Him for a better future.

I know what it is like to fail. I know what it is to be rejected. I know what it is to be dis-favored and disadvantaged. I know what it is to be looked down by people. I have suffered esteem destroying thoughts and I’d been buried under the garbage of misunderstandings. I have also been through shame, disgrace and embarrassment. What a heap of dung! When we allow these experiences and thoughts rule us, we develop a defeatist attitude. This is what I call the grasshopper mentality – the crippling feeling of being too small or unworthy for anything good. Breaking free and loose was not easy for me too, but the Lord helped me. Like Abraham, He showed me His plans for my life and the impactful life I could live if I agreed to partner with Him. Thankfully, I agreed and here I am with you! What a joy! This is the beauty of being in relationship with Jesus. I just love the way He uses all our experiences as raw materials to recreate a better life for us. Today, Jesus, my Lord is reaching out to you too because you are worthy to be loved. He wants to save and deliver you. He wants to help you see the beautiful future He has planned for you. All you need to do is to open your heart and ask Him in. God bless you.

Salvation Prayer: Lord Jesus, I thank You for speaking to my heart today. I repent of all my sins and ask for Your forgiveness. I believe that You are the Son of the living God. I believe that You died for my sins and resurrected on the third day. Lord, I give You my life. Come in and be my Lord and Savior. Baptize me with Your Spirit and lead me to a Church that is rich in faith and Your word that I may grow in You daily. Amen