Recently, I was at dinner with a friend who lives in Ethiopia. As we were eating, we got on the topic of inflation. My friend said, “You Americans complain about inflation, but you have no idea how big a problem it is in the rest of the world.” He went on to point out that Americans grumble about the weather, the economy, flight delays, and a host of other things.
I thought about his comments as I drove home and mulled them over in my mind for several days afterward. He’s absolutely right! As people who have freedom and great wealth compared to the rest of the world, we sure do complain and grumble a lot! Our grumbling is not only influencing our attitudes but also our relationships. I mean, who wants to spend time with someone who complains all the time?
It’s interesting to me that God took grumbling and complaining very seriously. In the Old Testament, God sent snakes among His people in response to their complaining (Numbers 21:4-9). Imagine if God sent snakes among us every time we complained! I don’t know about you but that would cure me once and for all! The point is God takes grumbling and complaining seriously. He wants us to enjoy great connection with Him and others, and in order to do that, we must give up complaining. Paul wrote that we are to do everything without grumbling and complaining (Philippians 2:14). Everything! Tasks and chores, obligations and commitments, eating and exercising. Do it all without grumbling!
So how do we stop this ugly little habit we’ve become addicted to?
Unleash the power of praise. Nothing I know of improves our attitude more than praising God. When we are focused on worshiping Him and adoring Him, it’s hard to focus on complaining. It simply doesn’t work. A friend of mine who has cancer did the 30 day praise challenge several times over the last few months. It so changed her attitude that her oncologist asked her what the secret to her positivity was. When she shared with him the book and how she had learned the power of praising God, he decided he would now buy that book for all his patients! Incredible! You see, friend, you simply can’t praise God without being changed. Here’s what I know: the more you praise God, the less you’ll grumble and complain.
Declare God’s goodness out loud. David writes, “I remain confident of this: I will see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living” (Psalm 27:13). With all the negativity that daily hits the news, I think we need to declare this out loud every morning and every evening. It’s so easy to get sucked into negativity. Rather than focusing on what’s wrong in the world, let’s state confidently that we believe we’re going to see God’s goodness!
Confess fast and frequently! As soon as you realize a complaint has come out of your mouth, bow your head and confess to the Lord. Ask Him to forgive you for being ungrateful. Then thank and praise Him for His forgiveness. If we all got in the habit of confessing quickly, I think we’d spend far less time grumbling and complaining.
Friend, God is calling us to be grateful people. As we uproot grumbling and complaining, our intimate connection with God is going to grow and our connections with others are going to flourish.
Pick up a copy of Becky’s latest book Cultivating Deeper Connections in a Lonely World here.
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