Isn’t there always something to grumble and complain about? My shower only had lukewarm water. Some days, you cannot get the water temperature just right and the temperature goes from one extreme to the other. I know what you are thinking. Those are first world problems. They are. These kind of complaints come from a spoiled and entitled culture that has forgotten how blessed we actually are. Yes, it is that time to think about giving thanks.
I think back to my time in church when I was a child. We sang “Count your blessings, name them one by one. Count your many blessings see what God has done.” How often do we find ourselves grumbling and complaining about our current circumstances? These circumstances can be minor inconveniences or can be something very serious. If we really dig deep into our own hearts, we might discover that our lives are probably marked more by grumbling and complaining than by thankfulness.
Philippians 2:14 states that as Christians we are to do all things without grumbling and complaining. It is hard to get around the straightforwardness of this verse. Does the Bible really mean that we are to do all things, everything, without grumbling and complaining? If you read your Bible, you probably have read at some point Psalm 55:17. That verse tells us that three times a day, the writer poured out his complaints before the Lord and the Lord heard him. How do we reconcile these two verses? On one hand we have complaints being heard and answered by the Lord and on the other we have a prohibition against complaining. So which is it?
The answer is that both passages are correct and teach us something important. In Psalm 55:17, what is pictured is a person in deep distress in an overwhelming situation. The complaint is a desperate plea before the Lord for help. The Psalmist is writing about his experience and how the Lord helped him when he cried out. What we learn is that this type of complaining is not a sin but part of reaching out to the Lord in the midst of real suffering.
So what is Philippians 2:14 teaching us not to do? The Greek word translated “grumbling” is onomatopoeic which means that the word actually sounds like what you are forbidden from doing. The word sounds like someone audibly grumbling. An English example of this type of word is “buzz” which describes the sound a bee makes. This type of grumbling describes someone who is spiritually immature and lacks faith. Grumbling is not an act of pouring our needs before the Lord but actually complaining out loud to those around us causing them to be disturbed. This is what the text is forbidding. Do all things without murmuring and complaining, states another translation. Let’s learn to both bring our complaints before the Lord and avoid the grumbling and complaining that we are so prone to engage in.
Finally, it is the season for giving thanks. The Bible commands us to be a thankful people. We are to come before the Lord’s presence with thanksgiving in our hearts. Maybe you have had a tough year. Be thankful that the Lord has carried you through. Maybe you have experienced loss. Be thankful that you had the opportunity to know love and care so that you would know what loss feels like. Maybe you will be alone during this season of giving thanks. You can and should be thankful for the promise of Scripture that Jesus will never leave us nor forsake us. Maybe you could even visit one of the local churches in our area. I am sure you could find some new friends and maybe even a new church family. Be thankful and may the Lord bless you and keep you during this season.
Joe Tolin
Kingman Presbyterian Church
