Turn Complaining to Praise
The season of Thanksgiving is upon us. Gods word says we should give thanks in ALL circumstances(1 Thessalonians 5:18) It says this is God's will for all those in Christ Jesus.
This is not always an easy task, especially when those little annoying daily "happenings" show up! How many times in a day do our thoughts turn to grumbling and complaint?
When:
*You come out of work and your tire is flat
*You're in a hurry and there's a slow driver in front of you in a no passing zone.
*You're exhausted and come home from work to a messy house when the rest of the family was home all day?
*You can't find an important paper needed for an appointment you were supposed to be at 15 minutes ago.
*The last bit of ice cream was eaten before you had the chance to get any
*Your husband leaves his drawers hanging out after getting dressed and his dirty clothes strewn all over the floor.
*Your kids leave a trail of mud on your freshly washed floor.
*You're asked to do the 101th thing of the day.
This is certainly not an exhaustive list of things that we face everyday. Yet, we are not to complain. So how do we get from our natural tendency of annoyance and complaint to praise and thanks?
First of all, I have discovered that when I give in to complaining, my already frustrated heart becomes even more miserable, it doesn't make me feel better to berate someone else, or whine about a situation. It doesn't change the situation but can actually make it worse. My complaining and grumbling causes division in relating with others, and separates me from God.
I began to wonder...what if God were standing in front of me? Would I continue my complaining attitude? No way! That would be like telling God he's not good enough for me. No, I needed to change my way of thinking to be in tune with God's will for me...But how?
Gods word has this answer for us too! Psalm 34:1 says, "I will praise the Lord no matter what happens. I will constantly speak of his glories and grace."
Psalm 42:5 says, "Why are you downcast, O my soul? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him..."
Praising the Lord is the solution to our complaining...I can choose to look at the problems in my life differently. There is always "something" to be thankful for in every situation. Even in those really tough times of major calamity, though we may not be able to see it right away, we can trust that God sees the bigger picture and we are assured that He will work for the good of those who love Him.
I have learned not to complain, but rather put my effort towards praising the God who has given me so much. Instead of seeing my husbands messiness I thank God that I have a loving husband. Instead of becoming anxious when I'm stuck behind a slow driver, I am thankful for the extra time to spend talking with God, and instead of worrying about my freshly washed floor being dirtied, I thank God that I have a home to live in and kids to dirty it.
It's all in the way we look at things. So next time you feel the steam coming out of your ears, Try turning that complaining into praise for all God has done. We are so blessed in this country, let us not give satan the satisfaction of seeing us complain. Give this way of seeing things a try! It is God's will, and it works!
God Bless you in your quest!
This is not always an easy task, especially when those little annoying daily "happenings" show up! How many times in a day do our thoughts turn to grumbling and complaint?
When:
*You come out of work and your tire is flat
*You're in a hurry and there's a slow driver in front of you in a no passing zone.
*You're exhausted and come home from work to a messy house when the rest of the family was home all day?
*You can't find an important paper needed for an appointment you were supposed to be at 15 minutes ago.
*The last bit of ice cream was eaten before you had the chance to get any
*Your husband leaves his drawers hanging out after getting dressed and his dirty clothes strewn all over the floor.
*Your kids leave a trail of mud on your freshly washed floor.
*You're asked to do the 101th thing of the day.
This is certainly not an exhaustive list of things that we face everyday. Yet, we are not to complain. So how do we get from our natural tendency of annoyance and complaint to praise and thanks?
First of all, I have discovered that when I give in to complaining, my already frustrated heart becomes even more miserable, it doesn't make me feel better to berate someone else, or whine about a situation. It doesn't change the situation but can actually make it worse. My complaining and grumbling causes division in relating with others, and separates me from God.
I began to wonder...what if God were standing in front of me? Would I continue my complaining attitude? No way! That would be like telling God he's not good enough for me. No, I needed to change my way of thinking to be in tune with God's will for me...But how?
Gods word has this answer for us too! Psalm 34:1 says, "I will praise the Lord no matter what happens. I will constantly speak of his glories and grace."
Psalm 42:5 says, "Why are you downcast, O my soul? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him..."
Praising the Lord is the solution to our complaining...I can choose to look at the problems in my life differently. There is always "something" to be thankful for in every situation. Even in those really tough times of major calamity, though we may not be able to see it right away, we can trust that God sees the bigger picture and we are assured that He will work for the good of those who love Him.
I have learned not to complain, but rather put my effort towards praising the God who has given me so much. Instead of seeing my husbands messiness I thank God that I have a loving husband. Instead of becoming anxious when I'm stuck behind a slow driver, I am thankful for the extra time to spend talking with God, and instead of worrying about my freshly washed floor being dirtied, I thank God that I have a home to live in and kids to dirty it.
It's all in the way we look at things. So next time you feel the steam coming out of your ears, Try turning that complaining into praise for all God has done. We are so blessed in this country, let us not give satan the satisfaction of seeing us complain. Give this way of seeing things a try! It is God's will, and it works!
God Bless you in your quest!
Comments