Overcoming the Habit of Complaining
Whining and complaining come naturally when we’re disgruntled, but if we let negativity saturate our thoughts, it will eventually lead to chronic complaining and a total lack of joy. Paul knew this all too well. In Philippians 1, Paul encouraged the Philippians to stand strong in their faith against external conflicts, such as the people who were trying to persecute them or silence their teaching of the gospel. He called them to conduct themselves in a manner worthy of God and not get caught up in grumbling amongst each other. Then, in Philippians 2, Paul taught them how to stand strong against internal conflicts — matters of the heart — one of which was the habit of complaining. Philippians 2:14, Paul says, “Do everything without complaining and arguing.” He not only wanted them to be aware of their negative thoughts before they turned into negative words, but he also wanted them to understand that to complain about anything was not what God wanted for them. It’s okay to feel like life has treated us unfairly and to feel desperate to see God fix a problem we’re facing. It’s okay to feel sad; to not love all the frustrating, disappointing or annoying things that happen to us; and to even feel disgruntled. In fact, it’s okay not to be in love with our life every moment. All of these are natural, human emotions. What's not okay is to stay stuck in a negative mindset that feeds the habit of complaining. That only takes our focus off of who God is and the fact that He is deserving of praise no matter what.
