Warning: Ranting and Raving Alert. Enter at your own risk. Don't say I didn't warn you.
I have loved a recent sermon series at church. It's all about resolutions. Sort of. It's actually a series focused on things we should quit. Let me explain...
Week 1 - Quit Making Excuses
Week 2 - Quit Complaining
Week 3 - Quit Living in the Past
Week 4 - Quit Comparing
My personal favorite was week 2 - QUIT COMPLAINING! I loved with a capital LOVED this sermon. I think Pastor Paul wrote it JUST FOR ME. Do you ever feel that way? Anywho, this sermon talked all about how complaining breaks God's heart. By complaining, we are forgetting to praise and glorify Him for all we have and all He has freely given us. Oops. Guilty. Complaining is TOXIC and CONTAIGOUS. It contaminates everything.
Complaining is just so human. I am guilty of this on a daily basis. Hourly basis. Sometime minutely basis (is that even a word?). Nothing ever seems good enough, easy enough, convenient enough. For example... Traffic. Long lines at Starbucks or the grocery or anywhere. Empty toilet paper roll - I really hate this one. Dishwasher full of CLEAN dishes waiting to be unloaded. Seriously? WAAAAAAAA. Boo-hoo. Woe is me. I feel myself getting sucked into a negative vortex that consumes me. Ugh. Yuck. This sermon was so very eye-opening for me. Like I said, Pastor Paul had me in mind when he composed it.
So how do we swim out of the darkness? How do we accentuate the positive...eliminate the negative? I guess I'll start by focusing on blessings. Everyday, simple blessings. A car that enables me to drive in traffic. Money for groceries or Starbucks or whatever. Toilet paper. (Did I really just thank my lucky stars for toilet paper?). A dishwasher. That works. Hmmm... Ok, you get the pic. My life is bliss. Bliss I tell you. Thanks Pastor Paul for attempting to change my course. I pray that I can find the silver lining of each passing rain cloud. Maybe I can learn to love that empty roll.
Katey,
ReplyDeleteLove this. So often I find myself trying to remember to be grateful rather than complaintful (is that a word?!). I love the visual of God being broken hearted when I complain. How could I possibly want to hurt the one that loves me the most? Love this post!
Jen in Colorado
Hi Katey, I'm not sure how I stumbled upon your blogs....well actually I saw a post of yours on facebook and kept clicking(I tend to be click happy most the time and before I know it 2 hours have passed). I think God planned for me to land here cuz this is sooooo me also! Thank you for writing this. It seems so basic and simple yet its so hard. Starting right now I QUIT also! Btw its been many many years since we've talked or anything but I believe God uses people in many ways to get His point across. You have a beautiful family! Happy St Patricks Day and God Bless! :0)
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