The Wrong Focus

The Wrong Focus

Q: Which foods from Egypt did the complaining Israelites miss?

• a. fish, cucumbers, melons
• b. fish, manna, unleavened bread
• c. fish, grapes, turnips

Do you like eating at a buffet restaurant? You can choose from all sorts of foods—fish, chicken, potatoes, salads, vegetables, and even desserts. Will you have the cookies or the ice cream?

The way the Israelites talked about all the food they had for free in Egypt, you might have thought they were royalty. They forgot about the long, hard hours they worked. They forgot about having to gather their own straw to make bricks all day in the hot sun. They forgot they were mistreated.

Every time things got tough, the Israelites looked back and longed for their old life, even though it was a life of slavery. They didn’t look ahead to the land God had promised them. They didn’t celebrate being free and becoming a new nation. They didn’t marvel at God’s previous miracles and confidently face problems knowing God would work again.

When the Israelites focused only on the day’s difficulties and forgot the blessings, life looked bleak. But the problem was with their focus, not their situation. We have the same problem today. Perhaps things are going really well. You have good grades on your report card, you’ve made new friends, and you have been strong and healthy. But then something bad happens and you forget all the good things and focus on that one failed math test or that one friend who talked behind your back. Try to see that problem as only a small piece of your life and keep your focus on the blessings.

For You

Difficult circumstances can make life look bleak. Maybe there’s too much homework, a best friend let you down, or there are problems at home. Those things are tough, but try taking your eyes off the problems and focus instead on Jesus and the blessings in your life.

Answer: a

[The Israelites said,] “We remember the fish we used to eat for free in Egypt. And we had all the cucumbers, melons, leeks, onions, and garlic we wanted.”   Numbers 11:5

(The Whole Story: Numbers 11:1-15)