Shift Your Focus

“Why are you discussing the fact that you have no bread?” — Mark 8:17

“Is the glass half empty or half full?”

If you were sitting in a restaurant enjoying your meal, the waiter or waitress would perceive your glass as half-empty and immediately fill it to the ream — the pessimist’s point of view.

You, on the other hand, would perceive your glass to be half-full, looking at your need for a refill from an optimistic point of view — no, thank you, I’m good.

So, what do we say about these things?

In Mark 8:14-21, the disciples had a half-empty mentality. They realized they only had one loaf of bread with them in the boat, and finding fault with each other, they began to argue. At that moment, Jesus heard the confrontation and warned them, saying, “Take heed, beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and the leaven of Herod” (Mark 8:15). With this statement, the disciples concluded that it was because they had no bread. But Jesus was like, come on, fellas. “Why are you fussing because you forgot bread? Don’t you see the point of all this? Don’t you get it at all?” (Matthew 8:17 – MSG).

Jesus’s warning about the leaven of the Pharisees and Herod wasn’t about bread at all. Jesus was trying to make the point that it only takes a small amount of leaven or yeast to work through an entire batch of dough and affect it. The Pharisees and Herodians were very influential. They could sway the people and lead them away from God.

The disciples worrying about the lack of bread showed their lack of faith in Jesus.

Then, Jesus asked the million-dollar question, “…Do you not remember?” How quickly they had forgotten. Their short-term memory had failed them.

Do you not remember when I broke the five loaves of bread for five thousand? How many baskets of leftovers did you take up? They answered, “Twelve” (v. 18). What about when I broke the seven loaves for the four thousand? How many large baskets full of fragments did you take up then? They answered, “Seven.” So, He said to them, “How is it you do not understand?” (v. 21).

From God’s perspective, less is more.

When it comes to God’s plan, our dreams, and aspirations, we can’t allow the pessimist — those negative voices without and within —  to take over our thought patterns. Looking at what we don’t have — the half—empty glass makes the goal seem distant and unreachable. But, when we see the glass as half full, we’ll understand that we can do all things through Christ, who strengthens us” (Philippians 4:13). We’ll realize that little is much when we place it in the Master’s hand. We’ll see we’re halfway to where we need to be.

So, I ask you today, “Is your glass half-empty, or is it half-full?”

Do you see what God sees when He examines your cup?

I choose to say, as David said, “My cup is completely full” (Psalm 23:5, NET). As a matter of fact, it’s running over.

Join me next time for Coffee on The Couch.