There is an old expression that is often used to describe a person’s general outlook on life. It is a question that is simple to answer, but it can be quite profound in its implications. The response often indicates whether life is lived with an optimistic or a pessimistic attitude. Of course, the question or saying is, “Is the glass half full or half empty?” Seeing the glass half full lends itself a very positive outlook, eager to recognize that what you do have is good and worthwhile. It stirs up a grateful spirit and an eagerness to see what might be coming in the future. When one looks at the glass as half empty, the focus stays on what is missing and what might have been if things had turned out differently. It ignites the smoldering embers of discontent into a very negative approach.
When God came to Noah and talked with him about the wickedness and corruption that was in the world at that time, Noah was ready and willing to “do everything as the Lord commanded him.” Apparently his close fellowship with God, enabled him to realize that he could trust God with the outcome of what appeared to be an extraordinarily unusual assignment – “Build a large boat.” Noah could have been a “half-empty” kind of person, questioning and even resisting the whole idea. Instead, he eagerly went to work, shared his excitement with his wife and boys, and spent his days anticipating what God was going to do in the months and years ahead. Then when he was on the boat and the flood waters were swirling around them, he continued to “wait on the Lord with eager expectation”. He was willing to believe that God would care for them and bless them.
It matters not whether you are in the adventuresome stage of “building your boat”, waiting and wondering what God is going to do when the boat is complete or living on the boat, waiting and wondering if the storm will ever end, the big question is still “is your glass half full or half empty?”
