Choose to Leave Complaining Behind
Mustard Seed Chronicles: Story Time with LU Grandma
I’m, hot!
I’m cold!
Snowing again? More rain, really?
Mac and cheese again, Mom? We had that yesterday!
Why do I have to clean my room, it’s mine after all?
I hate these masks!
We have probably said or heard any one of those repeatedly. With these complaints in mind, let me share a revelation that God brought to me recently.
When I was first saved, there was a wonderful older lady who mentored me. She was so sweet and kind and very wise. At the time, my family lived in Sodus, NY right in the snowbelt off Lake Ontario. In the winter, we would get feet of snow at a time. One morning while at church, I said something like, “ARGH! It’s supposed to snow AGAIN tomorrow!”
Miss Betty took me aside and said, “Timi, we daren’t (yes, she spoke in King James’s English, a lot) complain even about the weather. God knows what we need, and He is in charge. When we complain, we tell Him we don’t like the way He’s running things. Do you really want to do that?”
Whoa! I had never thought about that in that way before and I immediately thought of the children of Israel in Exodus, as we had been studying that in Sunday School. They had been rescued from brutal slavery on the way to a land God was giving them, fed daily by food falling from Heaven during the night, and their bodies protected by clothes and sandals that did not wear out, and yet…they murmured and complained and a whole generation died in the desert because of their state of discontent. The generation of people that left Egypt never saw the promised land that was flowing with milk and honey because they were never satisfied with God and His provision.
The other day when it was cold, I was going into a store so had my mask on. Another lady was coming in to and she was complaining about having to wear the mask. I thought about Miss Betty and said, “I know these masks are a pain sometimes, but out here in the cold, it keeps our faces warm, and we don’t have to wear a scarf.”
She looked at me and said, “You know, you’re right. Thanks for helping me be thankful.” I had to thank God for His prompting and reminder to me, too.
Paul writes in Philippians 4:12-13: “I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do all this through him who gives me strength” (NIV, emphasis mine).
It has taken me years to realize that Paul’s last sentence refers to being content! So, how can we become better at leaving complaining and our discontent behind? Paul answers that, too, in the preceding verses (v. 6-7): “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” (NIV, emphasis mine).
Prayer:
Heavenly Father, we need Your help every moment of every day to be thankful in all things instead of complaining. In our contentment, we find Joy. You are so good to us, even in our darkest trials, and we praise and thank You for all Your blessings.
We pray in the precious name of Jesus, Amen!
Meet the Author
Timi Plyter
“LU Grandma”
Lead Parent Advocate
