whining

Charles Spurgeon (1834-1892) once observed, “Many people are born crying, live complaining, and die disappointed.” It seems a malady of many that extends into history. People live their entire lives complaining about how everyone and everything is against them. They always have a reason, an excuse, why “it’s not my fault.” “Someone else didn’t do their part to make it possible me to do my part.” “I didn’t have time.” “I had a headache.” “The paperwork didn’t arrive on time.”

Pick a reason; there will always be one.

It’s called whining. Many of us make it a way of life- we cannot take hold of our lives, so we side-step the real issues, ourselves, and scapegoat the cause off on circumstances or someone else. Some of us seem to lack the fortitude and determination to fight our own foibles, our own ineptitudes, our shortcomings, and to overcome our failures. To be sure, it will always be easier to grumble about something than to dosomething to change it. It’s even easier to blame the whole thing on someone else.
It seems most of Western society is looking for any other cause for our own problems than ourselves. It obviously can’t be me that’s the problem? I’m not responsible for what I’ve done! It’s my parents, my lack of education, my skin colour, my sexual preference, my insecurities. I am NOT to blame!
A week after Jonathan Edwards (1703-1758) was fired (June 22, 1750) as pastor of his church in Northampton, MA, he penned this letter to a friend-

“I have nothing visible to depend upon for my future usefulness, or the subsistence of my numerous family. But I hope we have an all-sufficient, faithful, covenant God, to depend upon. I desire that I may ever submit to him, walk humbly before him, and put my trust wholly in him. I desire, dear, Sir, your prayers for us, under our present circumstances.”

Oddly, he stayed on in Northampton to preach in his church until they found a suitable replacement.  Edwards went on to become president of the College of New Jersey, later Princeton University.
If you find yourself a whiner, maybe it’s time you focused your eyes on the God who made you and learned that He has your best interest at heart. Trust Him. Maybe it’s also time for you to end the chronic attitude of complaining and do something to change your life situation. If, on the other hand, you find yourself living with a whiner, maybe it’s time you told them to take responsibility for their own failings, and admit their guilt. This may require you to help them overcome their own stumbling blocks; your reward will be the silence of their petulant grumblings.

Have a nice week,

Gary