[Discoveries] 04-18-07 The cure for complaining

[Inspiration in Your Inbox]

/*Do everything without complaining ... -- Philippians 2:14 */

I don't know about you, but complaining comes easily for me. Especially 
when I'm tired, cranky and irritable. But the Lord taught me something 
about complaining one day that I want to share with you.

I was upset. In the Bible, Jonah was angry enough to die, and I could 
relate. So I got away for a walk in the country. I thought I would pour 
out my complaint to God.

I started my prayer like this. "I don't mean to complain ... "

(I was planning to add, " ... but ... " and then complain anyway.)

But the Lord stopped right there. "Then don't," He said.

Now I need to explain that the Lord has never been harsh or condemning 
with me. And this was no exception. When He said, "Then don't," I didn't 
feel as though I had been put down. Rather I felt, "Wow, You mean I 
don't need to complain?"

There was a pause, and then the Lord added, "Don't complain, but you can 
tell Me what you want."

This put everything in a whole different perspective for me. 
Immediately, I could see that complaining revealed a complete lack of 
faith -- Here I am, burdened down with troubles, and God is so mean He 
doesn't care enough to do anything about it. But telling God what I want 
showed that I was beginning to understand who God really is. God is my 
Father who satisfies my desires with good things.

So I told Him what I wanted. It was a list of things that I knew I 
couldn't have, but I told Him anyway, and I thanked Him for satisfying 
those desires with good things.

I didn't get any of those things on that list -- they weren't wrong, 
necessarily, but the timing wasn't right for any of them. But I did get 
something better. I got the peace and light heartedness that I thought 
those things on the list would give me. For the rest of the day, I was 
much happier -- my circumstances didn't change, but God changed me.

Be encouraged!
Dwight


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