Complaining Vs. Contentment
I came across a resolution being offered by Congressman Emanuel Cleaver from the great state of Missouri. The resolution is that the Wednesday before Thanksgiving be declared “Complaint Free Wednesday.” One of the lines in the proposed resolution reads, “From time to time, we all experience anxiety, frustration, stress, and regret. And often, we respond to these feelings with a criticism or a complaint. Regrettably, complaining keeps people stuck on current problems, inhibiting them from thinking constructively to find solutions.”
While I wish Congressman Cleaver had made a better use of his time than typing up this resolution, he has a point. This country is full of whiners! We complain about everything. Only in a nation where we have too much stuff as it is, have we so diligently perfected the art of complaining. Our closet full of clothes is insufficient. Our temperature-controlled home is just not adequate. Our internet took more than 3 seconds to load our email. If you wanted to complain, you should have done it in the 80’s when we had to rewind “Star Wars” ourselves because the guy who rented it before us forgot to.
Unfortunately, American Christians are no less likely to complain than non-believers in this country. We have been swept up in the same tide of greed, debt, and dissatisfaction as everyone else. And now, as Christmas approaches the chances of it getting any better seem slim.
When we feel the need to complain, let’s remember the words of Paul to the young pastor Timothy in 1 Timothy 6:6-8, “But godliness actually is a means of great gain when accompanied by contentment. For we have brought nothing into the world, so we cannot take anything out of it either. If we have food and covering, with these we shall be content.” So when you feel like complaining this holiday season, think about all that God has done for us. If He had saved you, but you had to live in poverty, would you complain or be content? Let’s re-evaluate the treasure that we have in Jesus Christ.
#1 from Betsy on November 21, 2009
What a dumb proposal. No matter what the speech, as long as it’s true it’s protected by the first amendment. Any infringement on that is stupid. Does this congressman even know the constitution?