Death, complaints, and the ’Buck
Current mood: 
peaceful
So this is day two of Lent, and so far, the experience is proving to be insightful.
To let you in on my “Lent List” (which is not normally something that I would do, but, it seems applicable today), I am fasting a few things: 1) soda, 2) coffee (which by the way, has been the hardest thing so far, do you have any clue what it’s like walking into the ‘Buck-this is a term for Starbucks that I learned from my good friend Josh the minstrel-and ordering an Iced Tea instead of, well, anything made with the blessed bean?), 3) the use of bad words, and 4) complaining about my current circumstances (actually, I take that back, not complaining is the hardest one).
What I am realizing is that those first three items, while I miss them, I can easily live without. The fourth one, well, I don’t like living without it (even now you’re probably thinking that I’m complaining, I promise I’m not, I’m getting to a point). I have come to realize, within the first two days of Lent that I am a complainer.
I don’t want to be a complainer.
Nobody likes a complainer.
Or do they?
It occurs to me that I like to listen to people complain. I like to sit back, listen, and then respond with an answer to their complaints.* It makes me feel important. It makes me feel better about myself. It makes me feel like I’m in control.
And I know that I’m not the only person that feels this way.
Have you ever fealt good about being the “Bible Answer Man” (or woman)? Have you ever fealt like people are better because of you? Have you ever fealt like you needed to hear someone else complain for a while so that you can feel better about your situation?
I’m not proud of it, but I have fealt that way before, especially that bit about feeling better because of hearing the complaints of another.
I can be very selfish.
Thanks for agreeing with me so quickly on that…
Not complaining has forced me to confront my complaints, and as I do, I am seeing that while some are justifiable, none of them are of any value. They are all an annoyance. Every last one of them, annoying
to me,
to those of you that have had to listen to me complain,
but mostly to God.
In the beginning God made the world and He said that it was good. The first people messed the good world up with sin and now it could be considered bad.
Jesus.
He’s the key.
Even though the world was messed up, Jesus came to bring life back into the world full of death. Once again, He has called it good (I am reminded of a scripture that says that it pleased the Father to bruise the Son… He called it good). When I complain, I am embracing death, because all that complaining does is talk about how bad things are.
I want to be like Jesus.
I want to call things good.
So, as I sit at the ‘Buck, doing everything I can to keep from complaining, I will embrace the death of my complaining past and embrace my hopeful future.
Peace and Grace to you all as you learn to embrace the death of your complaints as it leads to a new life.
-m
*I want to make the note that there is a difference between complaining and asking for help or advice, and that it is possible to hold a different attitude while listening to someone than the smug, “Let me solve your problems” attitude.
