Do you complain a lot? Do you look for reasons to complain? Has it become so second nature that you don’t even realize how much you complain? Do you know that complaining can be the same as indicting God?
Our culture is full of complainers. Based on my experience, the vast majority of people in our nation complain multiple times per day. Think not? Stop and reflect on every statement you make throughout just one day and keep track of your complaints. Why do we complain so much?
We complain about so many things, all of them temporary (2 Corinthians 4:18). Your house—temporary. Your car—temporary. Your clothes—temporary. Your job—temporary. You time on this earth—temporary. Everything we see and experience is temporary. Though all of it is temporary, they are all blessings from God, given to us so that we may live abundantly in His care (John 10:10).
When we complain about what we have (or don’t have), we are indicting God, stating He is not providing for us as He should. Think not? Take a look at the parable of the workers in the vineyard (Matthew 20:1-16) and see if the workers were not complaining about the vineyard owner. Folks, we are the workers and God is the vineyard owner! If we complain about what we have, what He has blessed us with, we are complaining about God, indicting Him in the court of opinion.
Perhaps you think stating we are indicting God is a bit strong. That only proves the point that we are not looking at everything we have as a blessing from God. We’ve forgotten that He is the One who blessed us with talent, skills, jobs, creativity, the ability to think, the ability to learn, everything! Our own self-centeredness, thinking highly of ourselves, our failure to recognize God for who He is, causes us to indict Him.
How do we rectify the situation? We humble ourselves before God and He will lift us up (1 Peter 5:6). We are to give thanks to God at all times for everything (Ephesians 5:15-20). Being humble of heart and thankful at all times will help us eliminate our senseless complaining. It will help us stop indicting God.
I pray we all humble ourselves before our mighty God. I pray we turn our hearts to thankfulness each and every day. I pray we stop indicting God with our complaints. I pray we decide to live the abundant life in the manner in which Jesus intended it. Stop accusing God of not blessing you. Be humble before God. Be thankful to God for all you have. No longer compare your blessings to someone else’s. Trust God to bless you with what you need.
Philippians 2:14-15 Do everything without grumbling or arguing, so that you may become blameless and pure, “children of God without fault in a warped and crooked generation.”
Marty Pressey 