Drowning in the Devil's Puddle, Missing God's Ocean of Blessings
Drowning in the Devil's Puddle, Missing God's Ocean of Blessings.
It is true that the human mind tends to fixate on problems, a phenomenon often described as "negativity bias." This psychological wiring, while perhaps useful for survival in the past, can become a significant obstacle to our emotional and spiritual well-being in the modern world. The metaphor of the "puddle" of frustration versus the "ocean" of blessings is a powerful way to illustrate this. We become so absorbed by the one thing that went wrong that we completely lose sight of the multitude of things that are going right.
In the biblical context, this is a central theme. The Old Testament is filled with stories of people who, despite experiencing incredible divine interventions and provision, swimming in the ocean of God's blessings, quickly forget and begin to complain about their present difficulties, drowning in the devil's puddle. The Israelites, for example, are a classic case. After being miraculously delivered from slavery in Egypt and crossing the Red Sea on dry ground, they quickly fixated on the lack of food and water in the wilderness. They lost sight of the "ocean" of their recent deliverance and, instead, drowned in the "puddle" of their immediate discomfort.
This is a powerful lesson in perspective and decision-making. The frustration they felt was real, but it was also temporary. Their focus, however, was so narrow that they could not see the bigger picture of God's faithfulness, the ocean of blessings (Philippians 4:6-7). This is a struggle that continues today. We can become so consumed by a setback at work, a conflict in a relationship, or a health issue that we become blind to the blessings of a family, a bed to rest our head, bread and coffee on the table in the morning, or simply the ability to breathe (Thessalonians 5:18).
The challenge is to consciously change our choice. It's not about denying our feelings or pretending everything is perfect. It's about acknowledging the pain or frustration while choosing to swim in the ocean of God's blessings rather than drown in the devil's puddle.
"Frustration blinds us, causing us to drown in the devil's puddle instead of swimming in the ocean of God's blessings."
This is where gratitude becomes not just a pleasant emotion, but a spiritual discipline. It is an active choice to open our eyes and our hearts to God's ever-present ocean of blessings. (Psalm 34:1)
The act of consciously choosing to move from "drowning in the devil's puddle" to "swimming in the ocean of God's blessings" is not a one-time event. It is a daily practice, sometimes even an hourly one. It is the spiritual discipline of gratitude, and it is the key to moving from a place of frustration and negativity to one of peace, hope, and awareness of the constant, abundant blessings that are always present. (Lamentations 3:21-23)
"All my life You have been faithful. All my life You have been so, so good. With every breath that I am able, oh, I will sing of the goodness of God. Your goodness is running after, it's running after me."