Complaint Free World: Day 10
Psalm 34:2 KJV
My soul shall make her boast in the Lord: the humble shall hear thereof, and be glad.
People are amazing creatures. They are smart. They are creative. They are hard working. But problems arise when we see ourselves as the source of our own amazing qualities. I remember talking to a smart man once. He was frustrated with the "stupid people" around him at work. How could they be so slow? I told him he was very smart, but he was not self made. The fact that he was smart was because God gave him the gift of intelligence and he should be thankful for it because God did not have to create him in such a way. Maybe God did not gift his co-workers in the same way.
I think that when we credit ourselves for the good in our lives it can hinder our faith. Let's take our job for example. We can thank God for our job and see that, although we work hard, he is the one that provided us with the job and the ability to work at it (And if you don't have a job, do not hesitate to call on him as Jehovah Jireh: God the provider). When we see and acknowledge that he has been our source in the past we will have the confidence that he will continue to be our source in the future.
However, when we see ourselves as our source - "I got my job because I am an amazing, hard-working person" - the pressure is on to continue being that amazing person because our blessings are dependent on it. That is a scary mindset to live in. What if you have an off day? Or month? Or year?What if you become disabled? When we count on the Lord as our source, we will know to call on him and see him provide time and time again.
How I did on Day 9 of going Complain Free:
I complained. When I was getting Johnny dressed in the morning, he was being very slow to come to me. He was distracted and playing and when he was listening it was at a snails pace. He does this often, and I often get impatient and try to get him to hurry. Yesterday, I let this get me in a grumpy mood and I complained. In the future I am going to take it as an opportunity to sit and practice being patient. I will take his slow moving as a chance to slow down from my usual fast pace and take a breather.
This reminds me of when I was in basic training in the army. Everything was done fast. All our tasks were done under pressure and with the drill sergeants constant yelling and criticism. But in between these fast paced moments, we had to stand in line. Sometimes we stood in line for equipment or for food . . . . whatever it was, we were often in line. I found myself really appreciating these times as a chance to rest - and not get yelled at! It was a chance to be still and rest. Even after getting out of the army, when I became impatient in a line, I would recall the love I had acquired for the restfulness of standing in line and my attitude would change.
My soul shall make her boast in the Lord: the humble shall hear thereof, and be glad.
People are amazing creatures. They are smart. They are creative. They are hard working. But problems arise when we see ourselves as the source of our own amazing qualities. I remember talking to a smart man once. He was frustrated with the "stupid people" around him at work. How could they be so slow? I told him he was very smart, but he was not self made. The fact that he was smart was because God gave him the gift of intelligence and he should be thankful for it because God did not have to create him in such a way. Maybe God did not gift his co-workers in the same way.
I think that when we credit ourselves for the good in our lives it can hinder our faith. Let's take our job for example. We can thank God for our job and see that, although we work hard, he is the one that provided us with the job and the ability to work at it (And if you don't have a job, do not hesitate to call on him as Jehovah Jireh: God the provider). When we see and acknowledge that he has been our source in the past we will have the confidence that he will continue to be our source in the future.
However, when we see ourselves as our source - "I got my job because I am an amazing, hard-working person" - the pressure is on to continue being that amazing person because our blessings are dependent on it. That is a scary mindset to live in. What if you have an off day? Or month? Or year?What if you become disabled? When we count on the Lord as our source, we will know to call on him and see him provide time and time again.
How I did on Day 9 of going Complain Free:
I complained. When I was getting Johnny dressed in the morning, he was being very slow to come to me. He was distracted and playing and when he was listening it was at a snails pace. He does this often, and I often get impatient and try to get him to hurry. Yesterday, I let this get me in a grumpy mood and I complained. In the future I am going to take it as an opportunity to sit and practice being patient. I will take his slow moving as a chance to slow down from my usual fast pace and take a breather.
This reminds me of when I was in basic training in the army. Everything was done fast. All our tasks were done under pressure and with the drill sergeants constant yelling and criticism. But in between these fast paced moments, we had to stand in line. Sometimes we stood in line for equipment or for food . . . . whatever it was, we were often in line. I found myself really appreciating these times as a chance to rest - and not get yelled at! It was a chance to be still and rest. Even after getting out of the army, when I became impatient in a line, I would recall the love I had acquired for the restfulness of standing in line and my attitude would change.
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