Do You See Yourself As A Grasshopper?***

After forty days crossing the desert, the Jewish people are about to enter the Promised Land, as told in this week’s Torah portion Shelach.. Before they do, Moses sends twelve spies/scouts to go in first and report back what they see. Only two of the twelve came back with a positive report. The remaining ten were frightened and saw an inhospitable land filled with giants.

In the first part of a very telling statement they said, “In our eyes we seemed like grasshoppers…. Notice that they said in “our eyes”. When we come upon a new challenge, how often do we react fearfully? How often do we see ourselves as to small, too weak, and unable? How often do we see ourselves as grasshoppers? When this paralysis of fear hits us we become stuck where we are. We hold ourselves back from continuing our climb to reach our goals, dreams, and discover who we were created and destined to become.

In the second part of the statement they said, ..and so we were in their eyes.” Numbers13:33.  If you see yourself in a negative light, then that is how you will present yourself and be seen by others. If others see you negatively, then doors will be closed. Believe in yourself, if you don’t, no one else will, and if you don’t why should they?

“Within yourself deliverance must be searched for, because each man makes his own prison.” – Edwin Arnold

“You become what you think, even if you don’t think so.” – Dr. Morris Mandel

“We all have a fear of the unknown what one does with that fear will make all the difference in the world.” – Lillian Russell

Heart and Soul

*** Corrected Title

*updated from the original posted 6/19/12