But my servant Caleb, because he has a different spirit and has followed me fully, I will bring into the land into which he went, and his descendants shall possess it. Numbers 14:24 (ESV)
An article in the San Diego Union-Tribune relates the experience of one man named Nolan Nitta, who was born colorblind. “Nitta has loved to draw since childhood but, due to his color handicap, he gravitated more toward creating black and white illustrations.”
His brother and a few friends pooled their resources to buy him a pair of prescription EnChroma glasses that would allow him to see the world in color. His reaction, when he put them on, was overwhelming.
“Wooooahhhhhhh,” said Nita, as he opened his eyes. “I didn’t cry, but it was kind of emotionally overwhelming,” he said on the video. “I was taken by how beautiful the world actually is. …It made all colors pop a little bit more. I ended up seeing a bunch of colors I don’t think I’ve actually ever seen before.”
During a recent interview, Nitta said the glasses worked better than he expected. “I never really knew what I was missing until I saw it,” he added. “Before, I never really cared about color or the scenery around me. Now I appreciate it a lot more. The glasses made the whole spectrum more vibrant. Purples stood out a lot more.” “Something that was really life-changing for me was seeing the actual color of the ocean,” Nitta says. “I didn’t realize there was a green tinge to the water.”
In the book of Numbers, we have the story of twelve men who were sent to spy out the land God had promised to give to His people. The verdict was ten nays and two ayes. Two men voted to enter the promised land, ten men opposed the motion. The ten influenced the rest of the people, resulting in an insurrection that included talk of a public execution and a return to the land where they were once enslaved. The people even rebelled against God.
But Caleb . . . Caleb and Joshua – the dynamic duo who stood up for God and stood behind their leader, Moses. What made them so different? First of all, they were faithful, never doubting God’s promises. They were courageous and willing to take on a land full of giants. They trusted God’s promises.
How did they remain faithful despite the odds? Numbers 14:24 tells us Caleb (and Joshua) had a different spirit. He could see God’s vision for His people. Like Nolan Nitta, he could see beyond the black and white of their situation. He had eyes of faith. He saw more than giants – he saw the size of his God and that made all the difference.
Are you stuck in a situation that frightens you? Guess what? You serve a God of the possible. Your God is far greater than any circumstance you might be facing. Like Caleb and Joshua, ask God to give you eyes of faith to look beyond the black and white of your current situation to God who is able to do exceedingly, abundantly, above all we ask or think (Ephesians 3:20). As a child of God, there is so much more in store for you than what the bare eye can see (Hebrews 11:1).