‘Should’s’ have a powerful pull over the mind. We have expectations, we have dreams, others have expectations for us, and others have dreams for us.
We look over the fence at others and covet. We long for more.
A desire turns into a need then turns into a demand.
We want to be someone else, any place is better than the existence I now have.
A longing for ‘the better life’, whatever that may look like for you. We might use the phrase ‘A land flowing with milk and honey’ which is how God described the promised land to the Israelites slave bound in Egypt.
Yes, that’s what we want, take me there – milk, honey, peace, joy etc.
Once you’ve got that vision in your mind, enticing as it is, read how God told them he was going to do it.
The Lord your God will clear away these nations before you little by little; you will not be able to make a quick end of them, otherwise the wild animals would become too numerous for you. Deuteronomy 7:22
God was going to bring them into a better future, but it wasn’t going to happen quickly, it was going to be a slow change. One step forward, establish yourself, then another step forward and establish yet again.
Little steps of growing, knowing, and learning.
Changing little by little.
Is that ok for you?
Ever gone to a course and you have come away overwhelmed with information and you only retain maybe one or two things that make a difference. That’s because our mind is similar to what God said in Deuteronomy.
Let me rewrite the verse a little.
The Lord your God will change your mind little by little; you will not be able to make giant leaps of learning and change, because your past ‘stinky thinky’ and your old ways of handling life, need to be dealt with thoroughly or they will overwhelm the good change that is happening.
Over the next week spend some time thinking over Deuteronomy 7:22.
Write it on a little card, read it many times over the course of the day, let it work its way through your thinking, and see what thoughts, ideas, and learning emerges.
Then let me know, I would love to hear your feedback.
Barry Pearman
Image by AV4TAr Creative Commons
2 thoughts on “Little by little”
I’ve been thinking of Deut 7:22 this week. How I kind of think of it is that in instructor talk the average person can only remember 5 things + or – 2. If that average person is under stress then they can only remember 3 things + or – 2. So the average stressed out person will only remember 1 thing at a time. So what I understand God is saying with Deuteronomy 7:22 is that if He attempts to fix us all at once we going to get so overwhelmed that it will probably stuff up the good change He’s trying to do in us. If He gives it to us slowly, one thing at a time, we’ll be able to process it and move on to the next thing when we’re ready.
Inch by inch its a cinch, Yard by Yard its too hard. Good comments Ange