What do you REALLY have to complain about?
A simple question, wouldn’t you say? But in case you don’t feel like answering, please allow me to answer for you.
People complain about EVERYTHING! Anything and everything, from A to Z!
Algebra, air pollution, attitudes and authors
Beer drinkers, bomb throwers, bread crumbs and brothers
Credit cards, cold days, commercials and collectors
Dark rooms, diet plans, deacons and disorder
Empty heads, early days, essentials and excursions
Finger flippers, fast talkers, fraud and fake excuses
God lovers, God haters, God, and God’s Own Son
Heavenly talk, hellish rot, the homely and the handsome
Idiot lights, ice cream cones, issues and the insane
Jaw breakers, joke tellers, jealous folk and Jane
Kmart, kissing kids, kooks and kennel keepers
Lamp posts, lollipops, lumpy spuds and leaders
Monopolies, missing links, motorcars and meatballs
Nasty smells, nosy neighbors, names and nature calls
Oral surgeons, ornery sisters, outdoors and off-key singing
Preened preachers, poor losers, pets and perspiring
Queen beds, quick-tempered dolts, quiche and quorums
Ransacked rooms, rotten moods, rain and Rick Santorum
Sweaty palms, shifty eyes, salt and situations
Terror plots, tater tots, tabloids and temptations
Underwear, uniforms, ugly and unfaithful
Vain egos, villains, vagrants and vengeful
Water beds, wasteful, wicked and weirdo
X’s, x-rays, xenophobic Americano
Yesterday, Yankees, yard birds and yews
Zodiac, zombies, zealots and zoos.
Those are just some of the things people complain about. But why?
Why do so many people seem to live a life of complaining?
Ultimately it boils down to this: they do not trust God!
In the Old Testament, the Israelites complained throughout their wilderness journey. They complained when they didn’t have water. God gave them water from a rock. They complained because they didn’t have food. God supplied food from Heaven; Manna. After a while, that which God supplied wasn’t good enough, so they complained about that!
They complained about their leaders (hmmm), they complained about their preachers (double hmmm). They probably complained when things were going well!
Complaining is a sign of the times… “These are grumblers, complainers, walking according to their own lusts; and they mouth great swelling words, flattering people to gain advantage.” Jude 16 NKJV
A few words from Paul…
“Do all things without complaining and disputing,” Philippians 2:14 NKJV
“nor complain, as some of them also complained, and were destroyed by the destroyer.” 1 Corinthians 10:10 NKJV
Complaining reveals a lack of understanding of who God is, and what He said He could and would do. It says, in essence, “this or that which I’m experiencing isn’t right. I deserve better! I deserve better food, companions, things, friends, service…whatever. And it looks like God doesn’t care because He said everything I need, He would supply.”
BOO HOO!
Come on, people, what do you really have to complain about?
Think of the worst thing that could happen to you or a loved one. Just for a moment. Now, ask yourself, “in what way would complaining change that thing”?
Fact is, complaining doesn’t help, it only hurts. It reinforces the focus on the problem, and blocks faith’s ability to come to the rescue. It says, over and over, to your mind and spirit, “this problem, this situation, is too big for God.”
It also reveals a selfish side of the chronic complainer…
How about memorizing this description of God; especially when complaining seems like all that’s left to do (written by a guy who was no stranger to tough times)…
“‘Ah, Lord God! Behold, You have made the heavens and the earth by Your great power and outstretched arm. There is nothing too hard for You. You show loving-kindness to thousands, and repay the iniquity of the fathers into the bosom of their children after them — the Great, the Mighty God, whose name is the Lord of hosts.You are great in counsel and mighty in work, for your eyes are open to all the ways of the sons of men, to give everyone according to his ways and according to the fruit of his doings.” Jeremiah 32:18,19 NKJV
Complaining is more than just a bad habit. It’s a fist waved at God! It’s a choice, a decision, a way of facing unpleasant situations. It is SIN, and it needs to be conquered! So submit yourself to God, resist the spirit of complaining, remind yourself Who God is and what He’s promised to do, rejoice in God your Savior!
Complaining will get up and leave the area, when it loses its audience.
Bye!
Jan Grace 