Word for Youth

Don’t let complaining creep in (1)

Grumbling and complaining are things that can easily become part of our everyday lives. We come across things we don’t want to do, so we moan. Things don’t go the way we wanted them to, so we moan. Other people make decisions that end up affecting us, so we moan. And when a group of us all start complaining about the same thing, we can create a really negative atmosphere. Complaining says a lot about who we’re putting first and, consequently, our spiritual health. When we’re complaining, moaning and grumbling it shows that we’ve put ourselves first. We feel that we shouldn’t have to do the things we’re being asked to do. We shouldn’t be overworked. We shouldn’t have to put up with things. But our spiritual health isn’t going to look great with us as number one. God should be at the centre of everything we do. When we’re looking to Him first, everything else falls into place. That might mean we have to say no to doing some things, but when there are things that need to be done, we can do them without complaining. The Bible says: ‘Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters’ (Colossians 3:23 NIV). It may seem harsh but the Bible places whiners and complainers in the same class as ‘sinners [who] have spoken against [God]…grumblers and complainers…living only to satisfy their desires…to get what they want’ (vv. 15-16 NLT). Instead, we should be full of faith – thanking God for His blessings, trusting Him for the future and working with God at the centre of everything we do.

What now?
Every time you’re about to complain today, write your complaint down on a piece of paper instead of saying it out loud. Keep it, we’ll be using it tomorrow.