A T-shirt caught my attention one day. It says “complaining is fun,”
and while some may find truth in this, present-day followers of Jesus
like us should know the difference between constructive venting and
whining.
Venting, to some degree, can help someone unload the burdens in his
heart. After all we are called to unburden our heavy and sinful hearts
to trusted people, and then listen, strengthen and encourage one
another (James 5:16), However, we must be cautious about crossing the
thin line of unloading our concerns, to being plain whiny, ungrateful,
and entitled.
“For who sees anything different in you? What do you have that you did
not receive? If then you received it, why do you boast as if you did
not receive it?” 1 Corinthians 4:7
The Bible tells us that God frowns on whining and entitlement. After
being freed from slavery, and being given food and water supply in the
wilderness, the Israelites still kept on complaining as they journeyed
towards the Promised Land. God heard them complaining, and the
Israelites were caught by surprise as to what God did to them. Here’s
what happened:
“They spoke against God and against Moses, and said, “Why have you
brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? There is no
bread! There is no water! And we detest this miserable food!” Then the
Lord sent venomous snakes among them; they bit the people and many
Israelites died.” Numbers 21:5-6
When we do not recognize God as the source of everything that we own,
have, and can do, we will be ungrateful of the good things that happen
to our lives. When we are not thankful about the big things and the
little things, we will continue to whine about every little discomfort
or inconvenience that we encounter. We should make it a point to find
things that we are thankful for and praise God for it.
Jesus Himself expressed disappointment after only one of the 10 lepers
he healed, came back to thank Him.
“Jesus asked, “Were not all ten cleansed? Where are the other nine? 18
Has no one returned to give praise to God except this foreigner?” Luke
17:17-18
The antidote to ungratefulness is removing our focus on ourselves and
our problems. In his letter to the Philippians, St. Paul the Apostle
advised the early church to rejoice in the Lord and be thankful
always. He told them to shift their mind’s focus to what’s good and
best so that they could have peace. 2000 years later the same advice
remains helpful.
“Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever
is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is
commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy
of praise, think about these things.” Philippians 4:8
When we are thankful to God, we declare our utmost dependence to Him.
We admit to ourselves that we are nothing without God, and everything
that happens to us, is part of His sovereign will. When we let
thankfulness reign in our hearts, we call to mind God’s goodness and
faithfulness, and with this we will have the strength to go through
each day, and experience His peace no matter the circumstances we
face.
“Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances;
for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” 1 Thessalonians
5:16-18
Thank you for reading through our devotional today. I invite you to
ponder on Philippians 4:4-9 and Numbers 21:4-9 to dig deeper on
today’s topic.
Reflection Question: Do you have a thankful heart? How do you present
your complaints about your life to the Lord?
Conversation with the Lord: Heavenly Father, thank you for listening
to everything we have to say. Sorry for the times that we have crossed
the line from just saying to complaining and being whiny. We thank you
for everything that you have bestowed upon us, grant us a thankful
heart my Lord, and allow us to shift our focus on the good things so
that we will have your peace. Amen.