3:200 – It’s too….

#faithbites #faithjourney too

I live in a place where we have lots of change in weather. In the summer, it feels like your face is going to melt. In winter, the air hurts your face. And there are places with much more extreme weather than here.

I bring this up as it’s a balmy 96° degrees with 112° heat index and people are complaining it’s too hot. In the winter it’s too cold. Our media is too biased, our politicians are too corrupt, our government is too whatever. We can always find something to complain about and usually there some aspect of truth to it. It’s usually not as bad as we think, but because of our own biases based on our experiences and upbringing, it feels that way.

(Let me take a second to say there are definitely things that we should complain about, protest about, and fight for change. This post isn’t about those things.)

I often complain too much about too many things. This is one of the areas I am working on through my faith journey. What do you complain about and is it worth it?

Scripture

• Phillipians 2:14-15- Do everything without grumbling or arguing, so that you may become blameless and pure, “children of God without fault in a warped and crooked generation.”
• 1 Peter 4:9 – Show hospitality to one another without grumbling.

Reflection

How do we show our dislike without grumbling? How can we make change without complaining? Complaining is defined as the expression of dissatisfaction or annoyance about something. This is a hard road to walk as we want to stand up for what is right and voice our disagreements.

We can show that we are unhappy and explore ways for change. As we’ve said many times, this can be done in kind ways.

I fail at this on a daily basis. I am working on getting better by not commenting on as many Facebook posts as that is turning into just grumbling. The point of Lal this is God is in control. We need to listen. To his force, read his word, and do what it says. When we truly love him and love others as we would want to be loved, then we win.

I’m a long way from his but I hope we are all in this faith journey together and willing to grow.

Challenge

Pick one thing you regularly complain about. Is it making any difference when you complain? Are you feeling better? Have you taken any actions that can lead to change? Let’s focus on these steps and see if we can still fight for change while being kind.

Prayer

Father God, help us to be a kind, generous, loving, and not complaining people. We often thing the world is too something or another. While it may be, help us to take action for change. Let us know when complaining isn’t good and we are dividing your people rather than bringing it together. Heal our hearts and our minds as we look for common solutions and don’t just talk past each other. We love you and give you all the Glory. In your name, Amen.