A complaining
Christian is a bad witness.
A
young man joins a monastery and takes a vow of silence: he’s allowed to say two
words every seven years. After the first seven years, the elders bring him in
and ask for his two words. "Cold floors," he says. They nod and send
him away. Seven more years pass. They bring him back in and ask for his two
words. He clears his throats and says, "Bad food." They nod and send
him away. Seven more years pass. They bring him in for his two words. "I
quit," he says. "That’s not surprising," the elders say.
"You’ve done nothing but complain since you got here."
Complaining is a kill-joy. It makes you unhappy and everyone
else around you unhappy. The problem is that it is a hard habit to break. We are naturally negative.
We tend to look at the bad things in
life. We are conditioned by society. Bad news makes the headlines. We are
bombarded continuously with what's wrong
with everything. By our own nature and by our conditioning we tend to
develop the habit of complaining.
The Bible says God wants Christians to be different. Philippians 2:14-15 (NIV) Do everything
without complaining or arguing, so that you may become blameless and pure,
children of God without fault in a crooked and depraved generation, in which
you shine like stars in the universe.
"Do everything without complaining or arguing..." and then he
gives us three results. "so that you
may become blameless . .." This means that when you don't
complain, nobody can find fault with you. Nobody can
point a finger at you. "... and pure..." The
Greek word here means "having integrity". Non complainers are people of integrity.
"Children of
God without fault in a crooked and depraved generation, in which you shine like
stars
in the universe." Our culture is so negative. When you find a person who is genuinely positive they stick out like a sore thumb. The
contrast is obvious. They shine like a
star in the middle of a dark night. It is so different to be positive in this
world, to not be a complainer, not be critical,
not be a put-down person, that when you become that in your own life, you will
shine like a star.
The point of the passage is Paul is saying that
Christians are to react differently to the circumstances
in life. A complaining Christian is a
bad witness. A positive attitude is a great witness; it has impact.
How do you make an impact in the
world so that the world takes notice? Check your attitude. Be positive in a negative world.
Wouldn't it be great if the church had the reputation of
"That's where all the positive people go. You never hear a complaint or
grumble over there. That's the church where there is love, unity, harmony." Where there is
harmony, love, unity you would have to lock the doors to keep people out. The church would grow
automatically because people are looking for love. Every time you give a smile, shake somebody's
hand, say "Hi", greet somebody, you are spreading love. You're making a difference. You're making an
impact. You're shining like a star in a dark
world.
What would happen in your home if
your family made a pact that they wouldn't complain, be critical, tear each other down?
Understand however, that you need a power beyond
yourself, Jesus Christ. He is the antidote
to our culture and our nature. He makes us new people inside. Maybe the complaining is an embedded habit. The only way that will be broken is by an external
power in your life who will begin changing you from the inside out.
Read: Psalm 130:1-8 & Philippians 2:14-15
