In reading the Word this morning, I was in the Old Testament. The Old Testament is a fascinating place to read.
At any rate, Israel was wandering in the desert and their only sustenance was manna.
Problem is, they wanted meat. Tired of manna. Need meat.
So they complained. They were sick of manna. They missed Egypt's restaurants.
Apparently, this is a side of human nature God doesn't like very much. This is just a crazy guess on my part but my first clue was when he sent fire to consume part of their camp in response to the belly-aching.
I complain ... not a huge complainer ... but I complain about various things in life ... various people, etc
Sometimes I complain about every atom within a hundred miles of me ...
It seems to me that if you live in a fallen world, complaining would be a natural response ... you are simply reacting to the sub-standardness of it all. My initial thought therefore is that complaining is a natural part of life.
And maybe part of that is true. But now my task is to figure out God's view alongside my view of complaining.
Here's what I have figured out:
Once we are in the Kingdom, our context changes. The fallen world, as it were, stays the same but we become not of the world. Sorta like a bubble appears with the Kingdom of God in it and now we are in that bubble too.
In that bubble, we are totally dependent on him. He uses bad for good. We are his lights. All our physics change and our compasses get reset.
So, inside the bubble, how can we complain?
Oh sure, I know that bad stuff happens inside the bubble. Yet, still, how can we complain?
He has provided faithfully manna for us daily but hey, I need ribeye.
Maybe we need manna and the ribeye will kill us. Maybe he knows what is better for me than I do.
I am going to stay away from exhorting you not to complain ... not my niche ... too predictable an end to this blog ...
But I do want you to consider what I have said ... and next time you are tempted to complain, buy some bubble gum instead ... ok?
1 comment:
...like your idea of the bubble...around my colleagues, friends and family i get the feeling that "complaining" often takes on some kind of venting functionality...i mean, complaining about something to a close friend can be a healthy kind of venting (unless of course the complaint has a long half life like nuclear waste)...also with friends and family there's usually openness for advice about the subject in question...after talking things out i might even withdraw my complaint all together...but, the complaints that really disturb me are those which are publicly disseminated (here i am complaining about something that is our most fundamental constitutional right)...i don't understand the point in expressing dissatisfaction publicly...to me it's like spreading hate, not love...have to keep thinking about this one...
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