02.22
Let’s get back to “sex or a massage”. On my first few trips to Belarus, I got a phone call in the middle of night, asking me if I wanted “sex or a massage”. (Okay, it wasn’t the middle of the night. It was 11 pm, but for me… that’s the middle of the night.) Still, it was always weird getting those calls.
Robin Sosebee, one of our members, has been to Belarus several times, too. Robin has also learned Russian. (It’s amazing how quickly he picked up the language.) One night, he got a similar “sex or massage” phone call. He told the girl, in Russian, that he was not interested. She showed up at his door a few minutes later. Obviously, Robin needed to work on his Russian some more.
Today’s passage says, “do everything without complaining or arguing.” Griping, complaining, and arguing aren’t part of God’s vocabulary. So when we gripe or complain, we’re like Robin, decent intentions but wrong word choice. No matter how good our stated intentions, when we criticize, people can’t see God through us. The opposite is also true, when we do everything without complaining and arguing, people see God as clearly as stars on a cloudless night. Amazing, huh?
Btw… when the Belorussian lady showed up at Robin’s door, he apologized for mis-communicating and talked to her about the love of God. When we live a life without arguing and complaining, God uses us the same way. It’s a language worth mastering.
What tips do you have to control your complaints? What is God saying to you through this passage?
“Do everything without complaining or arguing”…..I had to laugh when I read today’s post because my sisters and I were taught this bible verse from a very young age. Perhaps my parents were using it for their own purposes more often than not (to keep 5 girls from bickering or complaining about chores, LOL!)…but the message sunk in, for sure. As a parent now, I get it. As God’s children, we can’t show His love to others if we’re constantly griping and complaining about doing what he’s called us to do. He told us to “act according to His good purpose.” He desires for His children to “shine like stars in the universe”…”blameless and pure”…that’s impossible to achieve with a bad attitude. Complaining is like a disease and it’s highly contagious, but a positive attitude and perspective is also contagious….and it honors God.
When I feel like complaining, I just try to see things from a different perspective. Just like when you go on a mission trip and come home, you see things with new eyes and realize how materially blessed you really are. When I feel like complaining about a given situation in my life, I think about all the people that are dealing with so much more. Whatever my circumstances, God is not glorified through complaining or moaning…..if we do that, we are actually showing a lack of faith. If God is in control and we are complaining about it, how is that obedience? It’s not. So, I think it’s actually a pretty good lesson my parents tried to teach us whatever their purposes….. “Do all things without complaining or arguing.”
“Do everything without complaining or arguing, so that you may become blameless…without fault” was surprising. I struggled with this one. No complaining, no arguing…seems like a hopeless goal for a mere mortal. I do think Paul’s got it right though. Because if I agrue, it’s always my fault.