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“The spirit of complaint is born out of an unwillingness to trust God with today. Like the Israelites, it means you are spending your time looking back toward Egypt or wishing for the future, all the while missing what God is doing right now.”
From: One in a Million by Priscilla Shirer

Wow, what a quote huh? I don't know, maybe it's just me. I often find myself doing just that. I have never thought about how it starts. I have many times asked myself why it's so easy to complain, but never seemed able to supply an answer. Why is it so easy to find the bad in life instead of the good?

Sure, we all have things that have happened in our lives that upset, anger, sadden, and confuse us. We also have many things that cause us to be happy, at peace, appreciative, and encouraged. We seem to go flying right by those emotions and into the wishing mode. You know the one where we can't wait to fit into that certain outfit, get together with our bff, or finally enjoy that great vacation.

I met a lady this week who had just found out about my son passing away. She hugged me and said, "I know how you feel; I lost a baby too. That's why I look the way I do. I've gained all this weight from sitting around crying and eating." When I saw her that's not what I saw, but it's obviously how she felt. I went to my husband and asked him if I hadn't grieved correctly for Uriah. Should I still be crying daily? Should I have no desire to go places? Should I not look forward to the future? He assured me that we all grieve in our own way. This; however, caused me to want to help this woman. What could I do or say to encourage her to find hope? Maybe a simple hug and smile will get the ball rolling.

The question I needed to ask myself was not did I grieve correctly but in what negativity am I stuck? I can be so negative about all my physical pain. I can also live a "what if" life. What if I had never met my wonderful husband? What if we never get to go to Disney? What if I never had to deal with physical, mental, and emotional pain?

The key is obvious. Enjoy what God is doing now. We live in a wonderful neighborhood in a beautiful house. We have a terrific church to attend. We have two healthy children and one more to be born at any time. We have job security. We have a God who loves us unconditionally. We have great friends to spend our days with. We have God's creation to enjoy daily. Boy, the list could go on and on.

So I guess instead of worrying about the future and what my New Years resolution is going to be, I can begin to enjoy today...every day.


Join in on the discussion of the above quote with this weeks’
In ‘Other’ Words hostess, Debbie on her blog, Heart Choices along with the other bloggers who share as well.