Complaining

“Maya Angelou is a famed American poet and author. From the age of three to seven she was raised by her grandmother, a period of calm and stability in what would be a very traumatic childhood. Grandma ran a general store and one thing that riled her was people complaining. They’d complain about the heat, the cold and a myriad of other issues Maya’s grandmother thought trivial.  Whenever that occurred Maya’s grandmother would wait til the complainer left the store, call Maya over to her and say,  “Sister, did you hear what Brother So-and-So or Sister Much-to-Do complained about? Sister, there are people who went to sleep all over the world last night, poor and rich and white and black, but they will never wake again. And those dead folks would give anything, anything at all for just five minutes of this weather that person was grumbling about. So you watch yourself about complaining, Sister. What you’re supposed to do when you don’t like a thing is change it. If you can’t change it, change the way you think about it. Don’t complain.”*

But it’s so easy to complain, isn’t it? The New Testament doesn’t talk about it much, but when it does, it has some important reminders.

First, complaining doesn’t escape the notice of God. “Do not complain, brethren, against one another, so that you yourselves may not be judged; behold, the Judge is standing right at the door” (James 5:9).

Second, complaining can reveal a lack of patience and forgiveness toward fellow believers. We should be “...bearing with one another, and forgiving each other, whoever has a complaint against anyone; just as the Lord forgave you, so also should you” (Colossians 3:13).

Third, complaining shows our love is growing cold. “Above all, keep fervent in your love for one another, because love covers a multitude of sins. Be hospitable to one another without complaint” (1 Peter 4:8–9).

Dale Carnegie sums it up pretty well: “Any fool can criticize, condemn and complain - and most fools do.”

God loves you!

Mike

*https://storiesforpreaching.com.au/category/sermonillustrations/attitude/