Do Complaints Roll of Your Tongue with Ease?

Did you know that your mouth will say what your heart hears? Karlton explains how easily complaints can change our heart.

“A good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and an evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For the mouth speaks what the heart is full of” (Luke 6:45).

I think sometimes we create a vicious cycle within ourselves.

We are not feeling good, so we gripe, and we complain. Our negative words come out from within, and our ears hear what we say, going back into our heart, and complaining comes out of our mouth yet again.

Perhaps more than most people we have plenty of reasons to gripe and complain, to verbally express our misery. And while it is never good to bottle up our concerns and troubles, letting an endless stream of griping and complaining flow from our tongue does neither us, nor our hearers any good.

We need to avoid the extreme of plastering on a false face and constantly smiling. We need to stop pretending everything is rosy and wonderful when it is not. But we also must stop spewing constant complaints about our misery and troubles to everyone around us.

It may take serious effort for you to find things to be happy about, to be grateful for, and to give God thanks about.

Yet it is worth the effort.

I was just thinking today that I have complained as much as anyone about our lousy summer weather here in the Midwest.

At times I have only half-jokingly said we may need to build an ark with all the rain we have received. Yet we have a gorgeous, sunny, warm, blue-sky day today. And I said to the Lord: “It is only fair to give You thanks for this lovely day as I have complained so much about all the miserable days.”

Sometimes we have to work at being thankful and grateful. To be sure griping and complaining are as easy as breathing. You are going to have many reasons this week to gripe and complain, why not stir your heart to gratitude and thankfulness?

Surely you have something to thank God for in spite of your troubles and difficulties.

Prayer: Dear Lord, forgive us our constant complaints. We thank You today for blessings beyond counting, for giving us so much in the land of our affliction. Amen.

About the Author:
Karlton Douglas lives in Ohio with his lovely wife. He has found that complaining comes easy, and yet it is better to count up his blessings and give thanks to God for His endless kindness.

Do complaints roll easily off of your tongue? Why not count your blessings today?

This acoustic version of Sanctus Real’s “Lay it Down” has lyrics I know you will relate to, as they talk about those complaints that can so easily slip out and how the ultimate answer is to keep laying all our stuff down at Jesus’ feet. Hope it blesses you. -Lisa