Don't Complain

I attended three funerals in the last three weeks.

I lost a great aunt.

A beloved church member passed away.

A dear member of our church buried an aunt who was like a parent.

Three funerals in a relatively short period of time.

We hear this cliché all the time: life is short, live it to the fullest.

None of us knows when the Lord will call us home to be with Him. Death is an unavoidable reality, but for those of us who know Christ Jesus as Savior, we know and firmly believe that death is not the end. We believe the apostle Paul when he said, “To live is Christ and to die is gain.” (Philippians 1:21) Also, “To be absent from the body [is to be] home with the Lord.” (2 Corinthians 5:8) I believe that of each of the three who were laid to rest, all had a personal relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ! The funeral services were more like “home going” celebrations.

As I thought about the brevity of life and all of the pain and the trials that come with our time here on earth, I began to wonder: Why do we complain so much? I say “we” because I am so guilty!! What if we determined to live each day thanking the Lord for His grace and His mercy, and ALL of His goodness towards us, instead of focusing on what’s wrong and what we don’t have?

We complain about our……

Spouses: They are not perfect, but neither are we. Accept them, flaws and all…..God accepts us flaws and all!!

Families: Be thankful that God gave you a family, people whom you can love and they, in turn, can love you back! No family is perfect; we all have dysfunctionality of some kind. That’s why we need a Savior!

Churches: Sometimes we spend a lot of time zooming in on what’s wrong with the church instead of what’s right. Just as spouses are not perfect, neither are our churches, which are made up of imperfect people who have issues just like us. If you belong to a church that is teaching the truth of God’s Word, encouraging the members to live it out, and striving to reach the unsaved with the Gospel, be thankful! Let’s pray for the church to be strong in the areas where it is weak. Pray, don’t pout!

Nation: All of us can find a lot of things wrong with our nation and many of our elected officials. Government was created by God (Romans 13: 1-7), yet unfortunately mankind has corrupted it. We are commanded to pray for those who are in authority over us (1 Timothy 2:1-2); the situations may not change, but our attitudes surely will!

I could list many more things that we find ourselves complaining about. Again, we absolutely cannot change people or situations (only God has the power), but we CAN change our attitudes toward people and situations! When that strong urge hits us to dwell on the negative, let's think on all the wonderful, beautiful, positive things that the Lord has put in our lives. God has been so faithful, and we see new mercies every day! (Lamentations 3:22-23).

Remember, life is short; may we live it to the fullest for God’s glory! So………..

DON'T COMPLAIN!