“14 Do everything without complaining or arguing, 15 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.” Phillipians 2:14-15
In the Bible, God calls us to do all all things without complaining or disputing. Have you ever noticed that when you go against God’s word, and start to get upset and complain about the situation around you, a domino effect is created. One by one, down go the dominoes with each spoken word of protest, criticism or grumbling.
The negative words you speak not only start a downward spiral in your life, but also in the lives of family and friends around you. With every, “I can’t, I don’t want to, This is awful”, your are making your situation worse and setting the tone for the rest of the day. You are also effecting your children with these words. They are learning that these are the right set of cloudy glasses to look through when facing life. They see the world around them with an attitude of everything is against them, that life is just not fair.
One of my favorite books is, “Calm My Anxious Heart”, by Linda Dillow. In it there is a beautiful passage that describes a prescription for contentment, from a missionary named Ella.
- Never allow yourself to complain about anything-not even the weather.
- Never picture yourself in any other circumstance or someplace else.
- Never compare your lot with another’s.
- Never allow your self to wish this or that had been otherwise.
- Never dwell on tomorrow-remember that (tomorrow) is God’s , not ours.
The secret to contentment is taking our thoughts captive and thinking on what is found in Philippians 4:8….
“Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.”
If this is an area that you are struggling in, pray and ask God’s help for you to open your eyes to the beauty of life that’s all around you. Practice leaving a legacy of contentment for your children and grandchildren. Break the chains of negativity and strengthen the bonds of family, by turning your eyes towards heaven and seeking the Lord’s face through every trial and tribulation. In doing so you will find peace far greater than you could ever imagine.
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Many blessings to you this day!
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Linking with~
Wise Woman
Winsome Wednesday
Word Filled Wednesday
Women Living Well Wednesday
What a beautiful blog you have here! I appreciate the message of your post. Complaining is so slippery. I appreciate your encouragement to leave a better legacy!
Shari, I love this! One bad attitude affects the rest. I think of that saying, ‘when mama ain’t happy, ain’t nobody happy.’ If just one of us wake up in a bad mood, very quickly we are all in bad mood. And I love that verse! Thank you for this encouragement!
Such great encouragement, thanks.
Hi Shari – it is exactly has you describe it, a domino affect. If i don’t have a quiet time, the traffic gets to me more, my husband’s comments sound stingy (even if they aren’t) the weather is too hot or cold, its just so true. One has to stand still and take a deep breath, and start thanking Him and focusing on Him. Great post, great encouragement
God bless
Tracy
ps: Thank you for linking up again on Winsome Wednesday, i love seeing you there
Ps: I’m your newest follower and I’ve grabbed your button! 🙂
God bless
Tracy