[403 words]
A man who had just purchased his first house in the country came into town and asked the owner of a restaurant if he could use a million frog legs. The proprietor asked where he could find so many frogs. “I’ve got a pond at home just full of them,” the homeowner replied. “they drive me crazy night and day.”
After they made an agreement for several hundred frogs, the farmer went back home. He returned a week later with two scrawny frogs and a sheepish grin on his face. “I guess I was wrong,” he stammered. “There’s just two frogs in the pond, but they sure were making a lot of noise!“
Application: We watch the news and think the whole world is as bad as the broadcasters portray it. Our neighbor runs down the government so much that we think that this is the worst possible country in which to live. If the weather outside is one degree above room temperature and the sun is shining, we say, “My. isn’t it hot out?” If it is one degree below room temperature and slightly overcast, we say, “It’s freezing outside!” We hear a few malcontents murmur about church members and we think the whole church is moments away from falling apart.
The next time you hear a lot of noise about how bad things are, just remember: it may be nothing more than a couple of chronic complainers who have little to do but grouch and croak!
Two things are at work here: 1) The complainers have too much time on their hands. The non-complainers are busy with life, bearing burdens and enjoying burdens. They are not speaking. They are busy! Often the only voice heard is that of the complainer. 2) We have the very human tendency to want to hear and believe the shocking, the ugly, and the tragic. Good news does not spur interest unless it benefits us directly.
Solution: Don’t assume the worst when two scrawny frogs start croaking!
“Without wood, a fire will go out. And without gossip, quarreling will stop. Charcoal and wood keep a fire going. In the same way a quarrelsome person keeps and argument going” (Proverbs 26:20-21).
“The north wind brings rain. In the same way gossip brings angry looks. Hearing good news from a faraway place is like having a cool drink when you are tired ” (Proverbs 25:23,25).
Tim Woodward
Smithville Church of Christ
Smithville, TN