What type of person will I be?
Our days are made up of a series of choices.
Hit the snooze button or get up? Speed up for that yellow light, or slow down? Will I exercise or binge on Netflix? Extend generosity and kindness to others or be self-consumed? Coffee, or no coffee? (this isn't really a choice - coffee is a reminder that Jesus loves us)
We all make choices that frame not only our days, but they also shape the people that we are becoming.
There is a story in the Old Testament that I have been reflecting on. God had promised the people of Israel that He would give them land that was good. After the people left the land of Egypt, having been in slavery for hundreds of years, scouts were sent out to survey the land and bring a report back. The men sent out, looked throughout the land for 40 days. Upon their return they shared the following:
“...They reported to the whole community what they had seen and showed them the fruit they had taken from the land. This was their report to Moses: “We entered the land you sent us to explore, and it is indeed a bountiful country—a land flowing with milk and honey. Here is the kind of fruit it produces. But the people living there are powerful...” “But Caleb tried to quiet the people as they stood before Moses. “Let’s go at once to take the land,” he said. “We can certainly conquer it!” But the other men who had explored the land with him disagreed. “We can’t go up against them! They are stronger than we are!” So they spread this bad report about the land among the Israelites: “The land we traveled through and explored will devour anyone who goes to live there. All the people we saw were huge.”
(Numbers 13:26–28, 30-32 NLT)
Here is what amazes me: the spies all saw the same things. The same fruit. The same abundance. They all saw the same challenges. They were all aware of the same roadblocks and obstacles. Each of them also knew of God's Promise, that this was their Promised Land.
Twelve men sent out to scout the land all saw the same thing. Only two of the twelve encouraged the others that they could do it because their God was with them.
Everyday you and I will have a choice to make:
Will I be a GOOD REPORT or a BAD REPORT person?
Who am I becoming? What do I want to become? It doesn't take any effort or faith to be a BAD REPORT person. All you need to do is turn on the news or scroll through your Facebook feed to realize that bad reports are in ABUNDANCE.
The difference between GOOD REPORT and BAD REPORT people isn't determined by what they SEE.
They all see the same realities.
The difference is in what they BELIEVE.
The key to being a GOOD REPORT person is not found in denial of the realities. It is recognizing that there is a greater reality at work in the midst of challenges or obstacles that we sometimes face or navigate.
When others are negative, will you echo their negativity? Or will you be a GOOD REPORT person?
When you are frustrated or discouraged, what will your report be?
How is your faith in Jesus being revealed in the reports you reveal each and every day?
I would love to hear from you: What are some ways that you have found success in living with a GOOD REPORT? Share your thoughts in the comment section below!
