Griping Is Not Tolerated
I attended a fairly well-known fundamentalist university in Greenville, South Carolina, and like most of the inmates, I had to live in the dormitories. On the back of every dormitory room door was a printed sheet of paper (something like that checklist you see on the door of a cheap hotel room) with a list of dos and don'ts (mostly don'ts). One of the "don'ts" was "Griping is not tolerated." I like that rule, God seemed to like it, too, because the Children of Israel got in trouble for grumbling more than once.
This morning, my youngest got up and without so much as a good morning, walked into the front room, sat down on the couch and promptly began to complain about having to do school work today. When I asked her to stop complaining, she started in with a fresh list of reasons why she didn't want to do her school work. When I told her that if she did not stop grumbling she would not be allowed to stay with her friend and go swimming while I was out today, she started in with another list of reasons why she didn't want to do school work. "Fine" I told her. "You can come with me instead of swimming with your friend." A total look of shock crossed my daughter's face. "Griping is not tolerated." I told her. "You don't have much school work to do, and it's not one of those things in life that you have a choice about."
I should have prefaced this little story with the fact that my daughter's little friend has mastered the art of manipulating her mother with whining, griping and complaining. Her mother gets so sick of it, she lets the little girl have her way. My daughter was trying it out on me.
In the Old Testament, we have the example of the Children of Israel who grumbled and complained about the food and water God was providing for them. I Corinthians 10 teaches us that those who grumbled were destroyed by the Destroyer. I Corinthians 10:13 reminds us that God will not give us more temptation than we can handle. In other words, nothing that comes our way is too much for Him to overcome through Christ in us, whether it is famine, death, pain or school work.
The reason that grumbling and complaining is so bad is that it says in so many words, "God, I don't like what You've allowed in my life, I don't like what You are providing for me, or I don't think you know what You are doing." Griping and complaining (and I speak to myself, too) reveal a lack of trust in God and a heart of ungratefulness.
The next time I am tempted to grumble and complain about my circumstances, may I be reminded that God knows what He is doing, and griping is not tolerated.
This morning, my youngest got up and without so much as a good morning, walked into the front room, sat down on the couch and promptly began to complain about having to do school work today. When I asked her to stop complaining, she started in with a fresh list of reasons why she didn't want to do her school work. When I told her that if she did not stop grumbling she would not be allowed to stay with her friend and go swimming while I was out today, she started in with another list of reasons why she didn't want to do school work. "Fine" I told her. "You can come with me instead of swimming with your friend." A total look of shock crossed my daughter's face. "Griping is not tolerated." I told her. "You don't have much school work to do, and it's not one of those things in life that you have a choice about."
I should have prefaced this little story with the fact that my daughter's little friend has mastered the art of manipulating her mother with whining, griping and complaining. Her mother gets so sick of it, she lets the little girl have her way. My daughter was trying it out on me.
In the Old Testament, we have the example of the Children of Israel who grumbled and complained about the food and water God was providing for them. I Corinthians 10 teaches us that those who grumbled were destroyed by the Destroyer. I Corinthians 10:13 reminds us that God will not give us more temptation than we can handle. In other words, nothing that comes our way is too much for Him to overcome through Christ in us, whether it is famine, death, pain or school work.
The reason that grumbling and complaining is so bad is that it says in so many words, "God, I don't like what You've allowed in my life, I don't like what You are providing for me, or I don't think you know what You are doing." Griping and complaining (and I speak to myself, too) reveal a lack of trust in God and a heart of ungratefulness.
The next time I am tempted to grumble and complain about my circumstances, may I be reminded that God knows what He is doing, and griping is not tolerated.
Comments