Please don't Complain

"Please don't complain to me", is an often repeated phrase in my home.  No one likes a complainer.  I even find that I frustrate myself with my own complaining!  Why do we complain?  Have you ever wondered why it is so incredibly easy to find something to complain about?  Why is it so much more difficult to find something pleasant to talk about?  God clearly shows us in His word that He realizes this is human nature by warning us about ourselves.  "In everything you do, stay away from complaining and arguing," Phil 2:14, and "These people are grumblers and complainers," Jude 1:16, and "How should I describe this generation?  These people are like a group children playing a game in the public square.  They complain to their friends,"  Matthew 11:16. 

Being of human nature however, does not excuse a sin.  What comes naturally must often be taken under control, but knowing why we do what we do, may make it easier to overcome.  It's like knowing that your car isn't running because it has no gas.  You wouldn't complain about the car not starting if you knew that YOU forgot to put gas in it!  You might complain about your own memory issue, but you wouldn't blame the car!  That would be silly, you can clearly see it's not the car's fault YOU didn't acknowledge the low fuel light!  That we understand, but what if the light didn't come on and the gas gauge was broken, would we see clearly what the problem was?  1 Corinthians 13:12 shows us the "why".  "Now we see things imperfectly as in a poor mirror, but then we will see everything in perfect clarity.  All that I know now is partial and incomplete, but then I will know everything completely, just as God knows me now."  If we don't see things clearly, what we do see confuses us.  If we only see a part of the whole, we don't know what it means, or why something is the way it is.  That is the point we start to complain.  What we are complaining about is actually our own inability to see clearly the why and how things are happening around us.  We like to share our "confusion" with our friends, and since they also can not clearly see, we may even find ourselves in the proverbial blind leading the blind situation!  I believe this additional sin then takes on a new name called "gossip".  

Wouldn't it be nice if we knew WHY that guy was speeding down the highway, driving like a maniac?  If we knew he was in a hurry to get to the hospital to see his new baby being born, we would probably pull over and let him pass.  What if we knew that short tempered woman in the grocery line that's yelling at her kid to stop touching the candy, had just lost her best friend in an accident?  Would we stop and pray for her, smile sympathetically at her and let her go first?  How about that mean lady in your kids school who never smiles and is always short with you?  What if you knew her husband had left her and she was now raising two kids on a school salary?  Would you pray for her?  Would you try to squelch the gossip from the other moms and maybe even yourself before SHE heard, and then had one more strike against her?  If we only knew WHY, we would probably respond differently.  God has told us however, that we do not and will not know why or see clearly until later.  Knowing this, we can choose to accept our confusion.  Rest in the knowledge that God sees all, and understand that we just don't understand.  By acknowledging our own inability to see clearly and know all, we can now allow things around us to continue as they do without complaining.  We can pray that God will give us His eyes and heart to see those around us as He does.  We may not know why people do what they do, or why things happen the way they do, but we can be used by God where we are when we accept His lead.  He knows where and why.  Do I trust Him enough to let Him lead me?  Can I accept that I don't know why and pray anyway?  Can I love the seemingly unlovable?  Can I squelch the urge to complain and accept that God sees all?  I know that I will try to do this.  I know that I will fail. I know I will give those around me chance to complain about me.  I also know that God will forgive me and I will try again. And again, and again.

Wisdom? Where can you find it?

"Wisdom is having lots to say, then not saying it."  I saw this gem posted outside of a local church recently and it has really stuck with me!  How true is that?!  I have found that I have very often regretted the things I have said, but only rarely have I regretted the things I refrained from saying.  The bible is full of verses about what comes from the mouths of us humans.  Here are just a few, "The tongue that brings healing is a tree of life", (Prov. 15:4). "The lips of the wise spread knowledge," (Prov. 4:7).  "Even a fool is thought wise if he keeps silent, and discerning if he holds his tongue," (Prov 17:28), and one more (my favorite)  "For out of the overflow of his heart his mouth speaks".  What I gather as I read these verses and many others similar, is that the words from our mouths are a direct mearsurement of what is in our hearts.  If we fill our minds and hearts with things from the Word of God, then what naturally comes forth from our lips will reflect Him.  If we have starved ourselves of the Word, then what naturally comes from our mouths will reflect our human nature, sin. I have to ask myself daily, have I feasted on God's wisdom today?  On those days I have not, I better be careful to keep my mouth closed.  On those days I have feasted and spent time with my savior, I may still want to keep my mouth closed, but if the spirit moves me to speak it should be a response and not a reaction.  When I lay down at night, I want to review my day and all the interactions I have had with others around me.  I want to rest in the knowledge that at my best, I reflected wisdom from God, and at my worst, I only remained silent.

Thankful for it all!

1 Thes. 5:16-19  "Always be joyful. Keep on praying.  No matter what happens, always be thankful, for this is God's will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.
"Do not stifle the Holy Spirit.  Do not scoff at prophecies, but test everything that is said.  Hold on to what is good.  Keep away from every kind of evil."

The first part of these verses, I have read numerous times.  The second part... not so much.  How is it that one stifles the Holy Spirit?  Is it when we know that which we should do, yet don't?  Is it when we fail to pray and then wait for God's lead?  Is it when we are sure we know what God wants us to do and plunge ahead only to later wonder whose "will" it was, ours or His?  If our own plans are so perfect, why do they so often crumble at our feet.  Why do we wait for that moment to seek the guidance of the Holy Spirit, and then hope God "cleans up" our mess while sending instructions for what to do now.  I am finding that more and more, spending time in God's word is the only way to harness the Holy Spirit in my life.  I'm re-reading the words of the prophets, looking for the warnings as well as the promises.  When I'm making a decision on how to respond in a situation, I'm seeking the experience of those who have walked before me.  I am attempting to respond, not react (read, overreact), by remembering the trials of the believers before me.  Life is difficult and we learn from our trials.  When life is wonderful, we forget.  I choose to be thankful for the difficult times, because it is then that I am being refined.  I am choosing to hold onto that which is good, true, and honest.  I am choosing to let go of anything that stands in the way of my ability to hear the Holy Spirit, that can be anything from bad habits to releasing people from my life that God didn't put there.  We become what we surround ourselves with.  Choose Good.  Choose God.

Are you ready?

As I got up this morning, even earlier than usual, I had one thing on my mind.  Was I ready?  You see, I am a mom of Faith, with soon to be four children in the public school system.  We have enjoyed a wonderful summer so far!  I have had the blessing of seeing growth both physically and spiritually in my kids in the last few months.  When I think about them going back to school, I can allow myself to worry if their faith will be diminished, when once again they become surrounded by the secular for several hours a day.  Then I remember that 'worry' is a sin.  It shows lack of trust in God who has my best interest at heart, but not just mine, my children's too.  Most times,  the growth we experience in our spiritual walk is preceded by trials and difficulties.  A good friend once told me that if I find myself outside of my comfort zone, then I'm probably right where God wants me.  Well, public school is definitely outside of my comfort zone!  Knowing this tidbit....I must be getting ready to 'grow'!  I have determined to make the best!  I will be a prayer warrior, vigilant to situations and circumstances that will require discussions with my children and extra prayer with my savior and theirs.  I will be the best example I can be to those around me and teach my children to be lights.  I will try my best to remember that those around us, may see us as the only examples of 'lives of faith' that day.  I want to be, and I want to teach my children to be, the best ambassadors for Christ that we can be.  I pray that all you parents will join me as I commit to praying over our children each day.  I will be praying for God's blessings, God's protection, and also for opportunities to be His hands and feet wherever the day takes these kids of ours.  I will try to remember at all times that these children were His before they were mine, and that His plans for their lives are far better than any plans I could come up with.  I will purpose to not get in the way of the blessings He has planned for them by hovering and keeping them in a bubble.  Instead I will encourage and support them as they grow, right where they are, comfortable or not.  I will remember each day that He said, "For I know the plans I have for you,...They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope." Jeremiah 29:11  I am so thankful that God spoke this for not only me, but for everyone, including our children!