Sights and Insights
Devotion for Nov. 12, 2024
Then all the congregation raised a loud cry, and the people wept that night. And all the Israelites complained against Moses and Aaron; the whole congregation said to them, “Would that we had died in the land of Egypt! Or would that we had died in this wilderness! Why is the Lord bringing us into this land to fall by the sword? Our wives and our little ones will become plunder; would it not be better for us to go back to Egypt?” So they said to one another, “Let us choose a captain and go back to Egypt.”– Numbers 14:1-4 (NRSVUE)
We took our dog to the dog park the other day. The weather was glorious and we had some time. It is a little bit of a drive to get to the Medford dog park, maybe 15-20 minutes, but it is such a wonderful space to let the dog off-leash to wonder through the woods and run with other dogs in the fields. Our dog loves being there. It’s far enough away, though, that it is more an occasional treat than a regular occurrence. He didn’t know that is where we were headed, but he did know that we were going on an exciting car ride.
Unfortunately, he spent the whole ride there whimpering. He had nearly everything he loves, but he was miserable the whole car ride. The day was beautiful, we were taking him to one of his favorite places for a favorite activity, and we had the roof open to fill the car with fresh air and an explosion of scents. It was too chilly, though, to open the windows all the way so that he could stick his head out. He had 95% of all that he could hope for, but spent 20 minutes in near-panicked complaining about the 5% that was missing. It made for a miserable ride for him and for us.
It seems easy from my front seat to be frustrated with the dog. We were giving so many good things, but only got complaints in response. Yet it is not so hard to sympathize with him either, is it? How many good things do we have, and yet how easily do we turn to complaints? How easily do we fail to slow down enough to realize the good plans in place? How easily do we think that 95% of our hopes is not enough, that all is miserable if we cannot have that other 5%? We turn to complaints so easily. God has given so much to us that is so good, and yet we find it so hard to be patient and trust that the good things are there. We find it difficult to feel gratitude if everything is nearly perfect rather than fully perfect (usually without noticing how close to perfect they really are, instead deciding how horrible everything must be). We fall into complaining at inconveniences that ignore the good that has been done, just as the Israelites in the wilderness or my dog in the car heading to the dog park. We get overwhelmed by the uncertainty of the destination and focus on what we do not have. May we learn to trust God that we might be able to see the gifts we do have and trust that God is leading us towards what we most need and desire.