Crabs in a barrel,
a whole mess of grasshoppers,
and the 2%…
Crabs in a barrel
I
was reading somewhere of how crabs when caught in a trap, or placed in a barrel
without a lid, will not only stay there after the bait is consumed, but also
will turn on other crabs who try to escape, tearing off limbs and even
consuming their own! What it brings to
mind, however, is the striking similarity of such behavior to modern day
humanity. Such is the condition of our
current society, and it even rings true among families and close friends!
Known
as “crabs in the barrel,” many people often envy the successful, and will even
go out of their way to restrict the progress of others, and those closest to
them. While this can be very troubling,
it should not keep us from striving to move forward in life and achieve the
life of our dreams, regardless of all the claws that may be snapping at our
backsides
But here's a thought... Could it be that when we try to impose upon those closest to us, our own low expectations of ourselves, we are just compensating for our own shortcomings? I'm afraid the sad reality is this... "The crab that mostly keeps you down is you."
But here's a thought... Could it be that when we try to impose upon those closest to us, our own low expectations of ourselves, we are just compensating for our own shortcomings? I'm afraid the sad reality is this... "The crab that mostly keeps you down is you."
A whole mess of grasshoppers
Nu 13:1 And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, 2 "Send men to spy out the land of Canaan, which I am giving to the children of Israel; from each tribe of their fathers you shall send a man, every one a leader among them." 3 So Moses sent them from the Wilderness of Paran according to the command of the LORD, all of them men who were heads of the children of Israel.
17 Then Moses sent them to spy out the land of
Canaan, and said to them , "Go up
this way into the South, and go up to the mountains, 18 "and see what the land is like:
whether the people who dwell in it are strong or weak, few or many; 19 "whether the land they dwell in is
good or bad; whether the cities they inhabit are like camps or strongholds; 20
"whether the land is rich or poor; and whether there are forests there or
not. Be of good courage. And bring some of the fruit of the land." 25 And
they returned from spying out the land after forty days. 27 Then they told him, and said: "We
went to the land where you sent us. It truly flows with milk and honey, and
this is its fruit. 28 "Nevertheless
the people who dwell in the land are strong; the cities are fortified and very
large; moreover we saw the descendants of Anak there.
30
Then Caleb quieted the people before Moses, and said, "Let us go up at
once and take possession, for we are well able to overcome it."
31
But the men who had gone up with him said, "We are not able to go up
against the people, for they are stronger than we." 32 And they gave the
children of Israel a bad report of the land which they had spied out, saying,
"The land through which we have gone as spies is a land that devours its
inhabitants, and all the people whom we saw in it are men of great
stature. 33 "There we saw the
giants (the descendants of Anak came from the giants); and we were like grasshoppers in our own sight, and so
we were in their sight. (NKJV)
Just
like the story of the crabs keeping each other in the cage, even killing those
who try to climb out, so were the Israelite majority set against Joshua and
Caleb. They chose to believe the
majority, the ten naysayers, the ones who saw themselves as grasshoppers, the
ones who had forgotten that they were in fact giant slayers and mighty men who
had overthrown every enemy in their path, a people in fact, who instilled fear
in the hearts of all the kings and nations who had been exposed to the great
stories of their conquests!
Powerful nations and alliances vanquished by a nation that now wished to go back to slavery and a life of hard labor. Somehow they chose to believe this lie over all the facts, the victories, all the miracles, all the years of deliverance, all their history in Jehovah. They chose to believe 10 faithless men over all of that… and even over their God… and forget all He had done for them! A nation of giant-killers was convinced by 10 grasshoppers that they needed to stay in the barrel!
Numbers 14: 1 So all the congregation lifted up their voices
and cried, and the people wept that night.
2 And all the children of Israel complained against Moses and Aaron, and
the whole congregation said to them, "If only we had died in the land of
Egypt! Or if only we had died in this wilderness! 3 "Why has the LORD brought us to this
land to fall by the sword, that our wives and children should become victims?
Would it not be better for us to return to Egypt?" 4 So they said to one another, "Let us
select a leader and return to Egypt."
6 But Joshua the son of Nun and Caleb the son of Jephunneh,
who were among those who had spied out the land, tore their clothes; 7 and they
spoke to all the congregation of the children of Israel, saying: "The land
we passed through to spy out is an exceedingly good land. 8 "If the LORD delights in us, then He
will bring us into this land and give it to us, 'a land which flows with milk
and honey.' 9 "Only do not rebel
against the LORD, nor fear the people of the land, for they are our bread;
their protection has departed from them, and the LORD is with us. Do not fear
them."
10 And all the
congregation said to stone them with stones. Now the glory of the LORD appeared
in the tabernacle of meeting before all the children of Israel. 11 Then
the LORD said to Moses: "How long will these people reject Me? And how long will they not believe Me, with
all the signs which I have performed among them?
36 Now the men whom Moses sent to spy out the
land, who returned and made all the congregation complain against him by
bringing a bad report of the land, 37
those very men who brought the evil report about the land, died by the plague
before the LORD.
38 But (only) Joshua the son of Nun and Caleb the son of Jephunneh remained alive, of (all) the men who went to spy out the land. The 2%!
38 But (only) Joshua the son of Nun and Caleb the son of Jephunneh remained alive, of (all) the men who went to spy out the land. The 2%!
Why just 2%?
This
whole story started a long process of thought…
Why do so few really succeed? Whether one looks at traditional business, sales organizations, direct marketing companies, politics or athletics, the cream on the top is always a very thin layer! These are the 2%! The 80/20 rule to be generous with the percentages, the top 2% of wage earners paying all the taxes, controlling most of the world's wealth... Well, as the late Jim Rohn would say, “It's just the way things are! Don't sign up for that class!”
Why do so many criticize and demean others who try to rise above the crowd? Why are well-meaning family members our biggest dream-stealers? Does our pursuit of some great goal or ideal threaten their comfort and remove the facade covering the multitudes who have self-medicated themselves into mediocrity? Perhaps we need to consider that as we try to impose upon those closest to us, our own self-imposed limitations and lack of vision in compensating for our failures. Again, the sad reality,,, "The crab that mostly keeps us down is us."
Are we going to allow such low expectations of ourselves that we choose to remain crabs trapped in the barrel? Will we believe we are one of the grasshoppers or mighty warriors? Will we choose to identify with the valiant and powerful and go vanquish our enemies?!
So
then, does God want us to be great and succeed?
Why did He want to annihilate an entire race that didn't believe and
raise up a MIGHTIER one? Did God not
promise the children of Israel great things and do great wonders in their
midst? Yet they still chose to live
small! Are things any different today,
especially among Christians? They CHOSE
to be grasshoppers! One of the greatest
honors we can bestow upon God is to believe Him above what we think, see, or
feel! How must it break the heart of
our loving Father when we choose wrongly and fail to believe he wants the best
for us!
*Only 2 out of 12 chose to believe God would do what He promised and went on to achieve their dream.
Seems like the numbers still remain the same today…
