13 February | Youth
«We were like grasshoppers in our own sight.» Numbers 13:33
One of the definitions for the word “complex” given by the Oxford dictionary is “a related group of emotionally significant ideas that are completely or partly repressed and that cause psychic conflict leading to abnormal mental states or behavior.” It is a distorted view of reality, a wrong perspective on life, as if observed through blurred lenses. I would say it is a kind of “mental astigmatism.”
Among the varied complexes, the best known may be inferiority, a term created by the Austrian ophthalmologist and psychologist Alfred Adler at the beginning of the 20 century.
According to Adler, the inferiority complex develops mainly during childhood, from experiences of rejection, overprotection or as a result of an undesirable physical appearance.
In Numbers 13 and 14, we find the story of some men with a similar view, what we currently call “low self-esteem.” The time had come for the people of Israel to conquer the Promised Land. However, after spying out the land, ten of the twelve princes of Israel returned to the camp with a discouraging report, talking about fortified cities and the fearsome giants, the descendants of Anak. “We were like grasshoppers in our own sight,” they said.
Have you also had this type of behavior? Did you see yourself as a grasshopper in the face of challenges? Some people today have a grasshopper mentality when choosing a profession, in an entrance exam, in front of friends at college or even when assuming the values of faith. If this is your case, I ask that in the name of Jesus you change your perception.
In contrast to the complex presented by most spies, Caleb and Joshua demonstrated complete trust in God. For these giants of faith, the children of Anak were the ones who looked like grasshoppers before the Almighty. Caleb said, “Let us go up at once and take possession, for we are well able to overcome it” (Num 13:30).
What giants do you fear? Fear of public speaking? Fear of the future? Pray to the Lord to implant in your heart the same courage as Joshua and Caleb. Lift your head! Adjust focus! “If God is for us, who can be against us?” (Rom 8:31). Never forget that, in Christ, we are more than conquerors.