Andy and I have made the conscious decision lately to stop complaining about everything. For one reason, when we complain, nothing is getting fixed, just talked about. Instead of complaining about a situation, we'd rather do what we can to fix it. The second reason that we're choosing not to complain is because it's contagious in a bad way. For example, if I complain to a group of friends about the book selection at our local library, that stick in their minds. Before you know it, they're thinking the same thing about our library, and they tell other people that. And before long, it's spread, and then the whole town is complaining about our library instead of rallying together to do what can be done to get more books on the shelf. And even worse, eventually the head librarian gets wind of these complaints, and becomes hurt because she's doing the best job she can with the limited funds she has.
Complaining can cause hurt. I used a hypothetical situation, but in a church family, complaining can have dire consequences, as it can cause people in positions of ministry to back off from their areas of service, or even worse, it can drive them out of the church altogether. And even though often our complaints may be valid, there is a better way to deal with them. And I find the solution to that in Pslams 142.
"I cry out to the Lord;
I plead for the Lord’s mercy.
I pour out my complaints before him
and tell him all my troubles.
When I am overwhelmed,
you alone know the way I should turn." Psalm 142:1-3
We should take our complaints to God. Not in a whiny, God fix this kind of attitude, but in a seeking manner. God, how do I approach this situation, is there something I can do to fix it. Is there something I could do to encourage that ministry more, or do I need to contribute of myself in some way. By taking our complaints to God, we're not causing anyone distress and we're taking them to the one who can deal with it best. I've also personally asked God to help me stop being so critical at times. It almost seems like sometimes I'm looking for reasons to complain, and I'm sure there are other people like that- we all know someone who chronically complains. In addition, I definitely don't want to be the person Jude mentions:
"These people are grumblers and complainers, living only to satisfy their desires. They brag loudly about themselves, and they flatter others to get what they want." Jude 1:16
I've spent a lot of time praying lately about complaining. I pray for both Andy and myself, that we can stop seeing the negative and see the positive, and I also pray that other people within our church will stop complaining as well. If we all were to stop complaining about each other, we would have much better harmony within the body, and that is so important to have. May I feel convicted before I begin to speak against one of my Christian brothers and sisters.
1 comment:
I totally agree. Years ago when our church started discussing a possible move, there were a lot of people (most of whom had been there since the inception of the church) who didn't want to move. They were attached to the building of the church and not the body. There were a LOT of tense "family meetings." Eventually, the leadership made it a point to make prayer about the situation a priority. Some of those people DID change churches, but some remained and I think this is one of the most unified our church has been. Not only a lack of compaining, but prayer (and SPECIFIC prayer at that) can do so much!
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