When things don’t go the way we’re expecting, or circumstances seem to be against us, it’s easy to fall into the trap of complaining. It can temporarily make us feel better. But it won’t solve anything and in the end it actually makes things worse. The cycle goes like this: we have a problem so we complain and stay stuck. We feel bad, so we complain even more and end up with a whole load of stress, rather than a solution. The Bible says: Do everything without complaining or arguing’ (Philippians 2:14 NCV). So it’s definitely something we shouldn’t be doing. But why? Not only does it make things worse, it also means we’re doubting God’s wisdom and provision. It means we think we know what we need better than God does. Which really isn’t the case. Just think about the Israelites. God provided for their needs, but they still complained to Moses, forgetting the ways that God had provided for them in the past. It’s easy to forget what God’s done for us, the blessings He’s given us, and complain because our current prayers haven’t been answered yet. And when we get trapped in the cycle of complaining, and we forget what God’s done for us, we lose our joy. So instead of complaining, we need to be counting our blessings and thanking God. ‘Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.’ The word ‘all’ is key. We shouldn’t just be thankful when things go well and turn out how we were expecting, we should be thankful in all situations. David prayed: ‘May these words of my mouth…be pleasing in your sight, Lord’ (Psalm 19:14 NIV). Let’s pray the same about our words.

What now?

Every time you complain today, make a mark on some paper. At the end of the day, next to every mark you made, write down something you’re thankful for.