Monday, October 24, 2011

A Startling Realization

You know, until just yesterday, or perhaps the day before that, I hadn't realized just how much I complain around the house, to my friends, and even to God.

The bad hair day, the ingrown toenail, the irksome sibling, the bad circumstance, the laundry heaped up on MY turn..   All - or at least almost all - has usually been poured into some, poor ear attached to some poor head that was already trying to solve  some poor problem of its own.(If not, I rehearsed it all mentally - to myself... which has been the usual circumstance.)

I hadn't realized, somehow, the importance of the Bible verse that says "Do everything without complaining or argueing." (I might be paraphrazing.. but I did have this verse memorized at one point in time.) I seemed to have entirely forgotten that this verse was just as important as "Thou shalt not commit adultery" or "Beloved, Love one another."

As I was thinking on these two thoughts (aforementioned) I began to think of the consequences of allowing myself to complain.

1. It creates a bad atmosphere.

2. It can ruin someone's opinion of a person I'm complaining about.

3. It can ruin someone's opinion of ME.

4. God doesn't like it and thus it must hurt Him when I do it.

(Only four reasons so far and all of them dreadfully legitimate.)


On another, similar note; Abigail Adams, of colonial time, is said never to have complained about her circumstances, which were quite unsatisfactory according to modern-day women.

 First, her husband had to leave their home to help fight the Revolutionary war. During this time, (allegedly) Abigail lost one of her children and grieved alone, was completely in charge of the farm, and had the little aches and pains of life that we so often find irksome. Yet, without her husband, grieving, working harder than many, she did not complain, because, "For one thing," thought she, "My husband has to go through so much more than I do, being away from home, fighting in a war, cold, without food and without family. What right do I have, in comparisson, to complain."

Amazing - no? (And inspiring, too, I daresay.)

But in spite of inspiration, I still say that no matter how hard we try in ourselves, we will fail. Jesus can help us - me, you, anyone - to be what they ought, and He alone can help to this degree.

3 comments:

Bethany d said...

I don't like complaining. But I always do it. It's a perpetual apeal to pity. :)

It's horrifying to read the bible and all you can find is, "Rejoice in the Lord..." and then you think. "Oops."

Big oops.

Anna said...

It's so easy to mess up, isn't it. I've been thinking and praying about this for a long time...and I still have some submitting to do.

Savories of life said...

Your post is what I have been working on!

How did you find my blog? Answer on my blog. A new post goes up Friday.