I gave you a land on which you had not labored. . .
cities which you had not built. . .
vineyards and olive groves which you did not plant. . .
Joshua 24:13
We humans are infected by two serious plagues. One is the plague of blessings forgotten, and the other is the plague of the half-empty glass.
The plague of blessings forgotten amounts to losing sight of just how good and kind the Lord has been to us. All the ways He provided so faithfully for us . . . all those times He blessed us and gave us more than we deserve . . . all His kindnesses . . . they just seem to fade into the fuzzy past.
Simple forgetfulness. It seems rather innocent. We don’t mean to do anything wrong. It just sort of happens. But in reality it is a debilitating sickness that can ruin your spiritual health for the rest of your life.
The plague of the half-empty glass, however, is more willful. It is the result of disgruntled comparison. It’s when God’s kindness to us seems puny in comparison to what He has done for someone else. It’s when what God should have done for us didn’t happen. We focus on what we don’t have, or what He hasn’t done, and it really gets our dander up. We conclude, This isn’t fair!
This plague is deadly. It will incapacitate you, paralyze you, or otherwise put you out of commission.
The Lord knows how dangerous these plagues are. So in the case of Israel, He called them together to remind them of all the things He had done for them. To call to their attention what life would have been like if He hadn’t intervened on their behalf. To bring to mind His goodness and love toward them.
If the Lord were to summon you for such a reminder, what things would He list? What kindnesses? What loving and patient care? What wise protections?
The vaccine against these plagues is gratitude. For gratitude is a soil in which prideful self-sufficiency will not easily grow. The psalmist agrees, and invites us to ward off these plagues by “forgetting none of His benefits” (Psalm 103:2).
It’s time to make a list, isn’t it!