Ancient rabbis used to tell a story about the Jewish exodus from slavery in Egypt. At the climax of the story, God parted the Red Sea so that His people could cross on dry land and escape from the pursuing Egyptian army. In the story, two men were walking along and complaining. They were looking down at the deep mud that they were trudging through, where the vast sea had been before. They complained about the mud on their legs and feet. They complained about all the walking. They complained about their clothes getting messy. The whole time they were complaining, they were staring down at the mud. Meanwhile, God was holding back walls of water on either side of them, delivering them from the hands of their enemies through one of the greatest miracles recorded in the Old Testament. They were so busy complaining and looking down at the mess, that they missed the greatness of God’s work. Though I believe the account of the crossing of the Red Sea, the story of the two men isn’t in the Bible and is probably a story used to make a point. The point is that it is easy to complain and focus on the garbage in our lives so intently that we fail to see the great things God is doing. The funny thing is that the more we do that, the more unhappy we tend to be. Psalm 19, which I recommend folks read regularly as a reminder to look for God work in the world around us, talks about how the sky above talks constantly about God’s greatness. They speak non-stop about how He has created an entire universe and made it beautiful. From the sun, to sunsets, to the stars above; the entire world declares His glory. The funny thing is that it’s easy to stop looking up at the beautiful display of his work when we are so busy focusing on the work around us, or the problems in our lives, or complaining about our neighbors. If we don’t stop and remind ourselves to say, “Thank you, God” now and then, we can easily lose out on the best blessings in life. Part of how we grow in our relationship with Him is investing time just appreciating His work. I would argue that this principle works in our relationships as well. A few years back, I discovered that if I spend time looking at my wife and just thinking about how pretty she is and how much I appreciate the things she does in my life, my marriage tends to be happier. Conversely, if I spend my time complaining about the things I find frustrating, I end up less happy in my marriage. This can be said of our time spent with anyone. If we focus on the reasons to complain, we will gear ourselves up to be dissatisfied and unhappy. In fact, there have been studies done that have demonstrated that people who spend time looking for things to be thankful for on a daily basis tend to be happier in general. People who say far more positive and encouraging things are more at peace and satisfied with their lives. To summarize the ancient rabbis: if you stare at the mud, the whole world will look like a muddy hole. If you look up at the wonders of God’s work, the world will be full of miracles.
