Do you have a bad bout of the grumbles? Are you finding yourself a bit cynical towards life? Is it effecting your every day decisions and how you approach others? If you're human, you've probably gone through seasons of life in which your complaint switch is on. You might be in that season right now. To make matters worse, you turn in your Bible for help and your eyes glance down on this verse, "Do everything without grumbling or complaining..." (Philippians 2:14). Pow - added guilt.Okay...I'm going to address this situation straight on with you. I find that way too many people who grumble and complain stay on this track, unnecessarily, too long. It is truly stewing without doing. Some of what we complain about we can't do anything about (rain, cold weather, illness, etc.). And yet there are other things that we do have control over and the Bible says that instead of complaining about these things that we should become actively involved in the solution. In other words, we should quit stewing and start doing.
I know people who don't attend church because they complain about this or that (music too loud or too soft, message too long or too short, too many people talk to me or not enough people talk to me, etc.). The complaining doesn't change - but the stories do. When complaining last longer than it should, it is important to seek out help or counseling from someone you trust. You don't want it to become habitual. From my own experience, when I get into a rut of complaining, it becomes more addictive - and more intense.
Okay...so if this is you today, you're going to need to put on your big boy or big girl pants and face this challenge head on. Nobody will do it for you. You may need to make a call to a friend and have lunch with that someone who can assist you in putting your stewing into doing.
And of course, I want to pray for you. Certainly, you can't be having fun in life. My prayer is that the enemey (Devil) will not gain a foothold on you - but that you will break free and find a peace that surpasses all human understanding.
