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Day 3: Righteous Complaining

It occurred to me today, how very easily it is to take a conversation into the realm of the negative.  I don’t believe it’s always intentional, but I feel it is something we fall into habitually.  As I was conversing with several different people today, I caught myself falling into the negatives and voicing my grumblings over various situations in life.  With a goal of focusing on being grateful, I started to wonder if there was a righteous way to ‘complain.’  God created us to need social interaction – to be able talk to friends and family about Him, about life and to help work through the various problems that are encountered in parenthood, careers, housekeeping, etc.  It’s so easy to be blinded by the faults of a situation.  I had just never considered if there was a righteous way to discuss what I was struggling with.     

With a little help from this thing called the internet, I came across several articles/devotions that detailed this very thought into actions.  One particular verse stood out to me: “With my voice I cry out to the Lord; with my voice I plead for mercy to the Lord. I pour out my complaint before him; I tell my trouble before him. (Psalm 142:1–2)  This article listed several verses of God commanding us not to grumble, but then He also leads us to cast our troubles onto Him; to pour out our struggles of the heart to Him. 

In conversation, it is a fine line between discussing the faults of a situation and grumbling about them.  But if I work to have a grateful heart, God can guide my conversation and help me stray from the negativity.  By leaning on Him, I know that I can discuss all of my ‘complaints’ and He will listen.  I will need to pray for God to help me change my conversation habits in the days to come in order to continue on my journey to #livewithagratefulheart #lent2017 #40daysgrateful


How to Complain Without Grumbling Article: http://www.desiringgod.org/articles/how-to-complain-without-grumbling   
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