Complaining

As I have aged I have become a bit of a complainer. There were times in my younger days that I would look in amazement and sometimes ridicule at those older than me who always seemed to complain and be grumpy. Now I find that there are times when I am that guy and I hate it.

Over the years of my working life since I graduated from college, I have found ways to gripe and complain either of what I was doing or what I felt like I should be doing. Let me be completely transparent here. Much of my complaining has been in the area of what I believe I should be doing in my ministry career. It is no secret to those who know and serve with me that I desire to teach and preach and lead a body of believers one day. Yet I am "still" a youth pastor at the same church where I have served for almost nine years. Over these 8+ years I have complained about why I wasn't leading my own church and why I felt stuck in ministry. This is not a slam on anyone I serve with or where I serve, it's simply me handling my life's station in a way that is not glorifying to God.

As I examine my heart for the root of my complaining I can tell you exactly the things that are not the reason for my complaining:

Other people or churches who have not sought me out in ministry
Lack of movement by God in my life
My current station in ministry

In fact, I know exactly what the core issue is with my complaining: Me. More specifically, I realize now that it evolves around a problem that I have with God. Allow me to illustrate this with Scripture. In Exodus 15, right after the Israelites crossed the Red Sea and were miraculously delivered from the Egyptians from the hand of God, they started complaining to Moses. First it was about the lack of clean drinking water (Exodus 15:24) and it denigrated from there to grumbling about what they would eat (Exodus 16:2-3) and then on to another water issue (Exodus 17:2). Although in each case they complained to and about Moses, Moses recognized exactly what their primary issue was: They were complaining about God (Exodus 16:7).

We can complain about where we am, where we want to be, or other people, but ultimately all it shows is that we have a problem with God. How arrogant! In light of the fact that God owes us nothing and yet still chooses to bless us and use us it really shouldn't matter where it is that we are in life. For me, it causes me to be a bit embarrassed about the ways that I have assumed something bigger and better was almost owed me in my life. Why would God choose to move me or anyone else for that matter if all we do is complain about where He currently has us?

1 Peter 4:9 tells us to "Be hospitable to one another without complaining." Let me phrase this another way: "Thou shalt not complain." That's a good commandment to live by.