Never Good Enough

Never Good Enough

Complaining Women

Read: Numbers 11:1-10

Joan stifled the urge to do cartwheels out of her supervisor’s office at the thought of moving to a different department. For six years, she had worked in customer service—and for six years she had listened to people complain, whine, and grumble about big things, little things, and everything in between. It hadn’t been a fairy-tale career, but some days she felt stuck in one—this porridge is too hot, too cold; this chair is too big, too small; this bed is too hard, too soft. Sometimes a customer could really be a bear.

Ever since Creation, God has been listening to the human race whine, complain, and grumble. After he miraculously delivered the Israelites from slavery, they grumbled that he was trying to starve them. When God sent them manna, they whined for meat. God displayed divine patience and met their needs, but later he responded to their continued grumbling by destroying some of them with fire from heaven and some by a severe plague. Surely, seeing God’s harsh punishment must have helped some of the Israelites break the habit of grumbling when circumstances didn’t suit them. Yet some of them continued to complain against Moses and God throughout their journey.

Complaining comes naturally to all of us. It’s usually our first response whenever we’re disappointed or don’t get what we want. God arranges the details of our lives. When we are discontented with who we are or grumble about our circumstances, we’re complaining about his provision. God wants us to trust that he knows what is best for us and will work things out for good. Complaining is contagious in a group, and it binds us to a negative mind-set. We are better off using our mouths for prayer and praise instead of grumbling. Then, like Goldilocks, we may finally come to the conclusion that our lives are “just right.”

Do everything without complaining and arguing.

Philippians 2:14