Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 3:00 — 4.1MB)
Would you like to stop complaining? I have a message of great hope for you. You can be set free from the curse of complaining; you don’t have to continue to suffer from this very contagious disease. In fact, if you are a Christ-follower, you have been given a clear directive to get rid of complaining in your life.
Philippians 2:14 puts it very simply: “Do everything without grumbling or arguing.”
I pointed out that complaining can be addictive, and it can cause you real mental and physical problems. There is no doubt that you would be much better off if you would get rid of complaining, and because it is a contagious disease, everyone around you would be better off as well.
So, how do you cure complaining? I have five powerful cures to give you.
- Make thanksgiving a part of your everyday routine.
In 1 Thessalonians 5:18 we read, “Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” It is God’s will that you become a thankful person; so put it on your to-do list; add it to your daily schedule. Thank God intentionally and continually throughout your day. And please make sure you begin each day with thankfulness. Make the first words out of your mouth—even the first thoughts in your head each morning—words and thoughts full of thanksgiving.
You’ll probably have to train yourself to do this, if you’ve been in complaint mode very long. It is replacing bad habits with good habits, but if you are a Christ-follower, you have a mandate to give thanks in all circumstances, so I would just say, get with the program starting today.
- Adjust your expectations.
If you’ve been expecting life to be fair and easy and you live under the assumption that everyone should march in your parade and do what you think they should do, you have unrealistic expectations. So, adjust to the fact that you don’t have a perfect job, a perfect mate, a perfect child, a perfect church. Life is just plain messy and it’s not fair. And if you’ve been thinking that life owes you a smooth journey, throw those thoughts out and determine to focus on the good things in your life instead of majoring on the negative ones.
Remember, don’t complain about anything today.