I attended a woman’s conference yesterday, hearing great women of great faith inspire women attending to purpose and greatness. The first workshop I attended was entitled, “The Purpose of Your Actions.” The speaker led us in a discussion about Mary and Martha (Luke 10). I would have slipped out of the room if I could have gone unnoticed because I knew where this discussion was going.
I am so much like Martha, sister of Lazarus. Type-A personality, if you want something done, give it to me. Volunteers? Just ask Debby, she never says no. Sad, but true, I am the chief complainer in the complaint department. And that was Martha, get everything done, take care of all the details, leading to resentment and complaints.
A.W. Tozer says, “Among those sins most exquisitely fitted to injure the soul and destroy the testimony, few can equal the sin of complaining. Yet the habit is so widespread that we hardly notice it among us. The complaining heart never lacks for occasion. It can always find reason enough to be unhappy. The object of its censure may be almost anything: the weather, the church, the difficulties of the way, other Christians or even God Himself. A complaining Christian puts himself in a position morally untenable. The simple logic of his professed discipleship is against him with an unanswerable argument. Its reasoning runs like this: First, he is a Christian because he chose to be. There are no conscripts in the army of God. He is, therefore, in the awkward position of complaining against the very conditions he brought himself into by his own free choice. Secondly, he can quit any time he desires. No Christian wears a chain on his leg. Yet he still continues on, grumbling as he goes, and for such conduct he has no defense.”
I’ve had a lot of spiritual “food” to mull over since yesterday. My husband says to listen to my own complaints because they are God’s opportunities for my growth. He also says practice “not criticizing, condemning or complaining.” If everybody practiced that rule, imagine the harmony this world would have.
Philippians 2:14-15 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.
Tagged: purpose and calling, scripture
