I used to have a rule when I team lead missions trip that went something like, “don’t state the obvious”. This meant you will likely be tired, hot, cold, thirsty, hungry, and any combination of those at any given point on the trip. There will probably be crazy smells, lots of traffic, and unexpected things everyday. I didn’t want team members to stand there and complain about the obvious.

It’s easy to adapt this mentality on a 1-3 week concentrated trip where you are out of your element and serving people in a foreign country. It’s NOT as easy to adapt a mentality like this or better on a day-to-day basis. We get impatient. Something frustrates us. We have the ability to cater circumstances to fit our needs and preferences and so we complain when things don’t go as we like. I’m GUILTY!

When I was on a dance team years ago, we had Philippians 2:14-15 on our shirts and it read, “ Do all things without complaining and disputing, that you may become blameless and harmless, children of God without fault in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world”. I remember feeling great conviction from this scripture and while I would complain all the time in my heart, that scripture always went through my mind and it made me feel accountable.

While we all may not wear a T-shirt as a daily reminder not to complain, we should meditate on this verse and take inventory of when we are dissatisfied. The verse above states that by not complaining we are able to shine like stars in the midst of darkness and perverse situations in this generation. Are there dark and perverse things around you? Do you want the light of Christ to shine through your life into those places? Then don’t complain about everything and don’t dispute or argue over things that don’t matter eternally.

When Jesus came to the Earth He didn’t get into silly arguments with the Pharisees. He answered them in the spirit of wisdom and stayed true to His Father’s words. He might not have pleased men at times by what He said and did, but He wasn’t complaining. I feel if anyone had a right to complain it was Jesus. I think about the “mess” we’ve made as humans and the times we’ve broken His heart with our sin and rebellion. Even as He stood to be judged and accused on behalf of OUR sin, He kept silent. In all of His innocence He didn’t speak in complaint and accusations.

I believe we can learn to transform our behavior in the area of complaining so that we begin to reflect Jesus to the world around us. When the children of God complained in the Bible, it caused them to wander from the faith of what God had spoken to them. If we are to shine and reflect His purposes for our lives, we must keep a thankful heart and walk forward in what He has for us.