Do I Grumble or Complain Constantly?
Read Philippians 2:14-16.
I honestly try not to grumble or complain constantly, especially when I'm "in the public eye," but I know I fail to stop myself often. Not making excuses, but it's so easy to fall into grumbling and complaining in the world we live in. Then, just when I feel justified in complaining (oops...look ahead to Saturday's question!) because I'm just "telling the truth," I read Paul's word to the Philippians: "Do everything without grumbling or arguing..."
Everything?
But, Paul, you don't understand the world we live in! It's a negative world! It's a world where things just don't work right. It's a world where the loudest get the most attention, where the proverbial squeaky wheel gets the grease, where...
Except that Paul lived in a world he described as "warped and crooked." I don't know if there is a more apt description of our own world, is there? When I watch some of the previews of current television shows, streaming shows or movies, I often find myself uncomfortable, wondering, "Do people really live such desperate lives?" We live in a "warped and crooked" world, the same kind of world in which Paul called those early Christians to stop grumbling and complaining. It wasn't (and isn't) becoming or representative of our faith. We are people of hope, not despair, and grumbling and complaining largely comes from despair. Besides, Paul says, when we live above grumbling and arguing, we are "children of God without fault."
So how do we, as children of God, stack up in this area? I can tell you, from a pastoral perspective, I hear a lot of grumbling and complaining in the church. We grumble about the music, we complain about the decor, we grumble about the pastor's sermon, and we complain about what wasn't included in the service. I once had a person tell me they were going to leave the church if we didn't paint the worship center the color they preferred rather than the one the trustees chose—and they were both shades of white! I've gotten anonymous notes, nasty e-mails and pointed letters (not to mention the occasional pointed finger in the face!). We grumble that "things aren't like they were ten years ago" and we complain that a particular (secular) holiday wasn't the focus of worship. Often, we do this about someone who isn't present in the conversation. Whatever happened to open, honest communication that takes place face-to-face? What happened to our ability to disagree and still love one another?
Do we want to be "without fault"? Do we want to follow Jesus' command to love one another? Can we do that and still grumble and complain constantly? What needs to happen for us to be more like Jesus in this area?
I honestly try not to grumble or complain constantly, especially when I'm "in the public eye," but I know I fail to stop myself often. Not making excuses, but it's so easy to fall into grumbling and complaining in the world we live in. Then, just when I feel justified in complaining (oops...look ahead to Saturday's question!) because I'm just "telling the truth," I read Paul's word to the Philippians: "Do everything without grumbling or arguing..."
Everything?
But, Paul, you don't understand the world we live in! It's a negative world! It's a world where things just don't work right. It's a world where the loudest get the most attention, where the proverbial squeaky wheel gets the grease, where...
Except that Paul lived in a world he described as "warped and crooked." I don't know if there is a more apt description of our own world, is there? When I watch some of the previews of current television shows, streaming shows or movies, I often find myself uncomfortable, wondering, "Do people really live such desperate lives?" We live in a "warped and crooked" world, the same kind of world in which Paul called those early Christians to stop grumbling and complaining. It wasn't (and isn't) becoming or representative of our faith. We are people of hope, not despair, and grumbling and complaining largely comes from despair. Besides, Paul says, when we live above grumbling and arguing, we are "children of God without fault."
So how do we, as children of God, stack up in this area? I can tell you, from a pastoral perspective, I hear a lot of grumbling and complaining in the church. We grumble about the music, we complain about the decor, we grumble about the pastor's sermon, and we complain about what wasn't included in the service. I once had a person tell me they were going to leave the church if we didn't paint the worship center the color they preferred rather than the one the trustees chose—and they were both shades of white! I've gotten anonymous notes, nasty e-mails and pointed letters (not to mention the occasional pointed finger in the face!). We grumble that "things aren't like they were ten years ago" and we complain that a particular (secular) holiday wasn't the focus of worship. Often, we do this about someone who isn't present in the conversation. Whatever happened to open, honest communication that takes place face-to-face? What happened to our ability to disagree and still love one another?
Do we want to be "without fault"? Do we want to follow Jesus' command to love one another? Can we do that and still grumble and complain constantly? What needs to happen for us to be more like Jesus in this area?
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