Prone to Complain

Come, thou Fount of every blessing, tune my heart to sing thy grace;  

 Streams of mercy, never ceasing, call for songs of loudest praise.

  Teach me some melodious sonnet, sung by flaming tongues above.

Praise the mount! I'm fixed upon it, mount of thy redeeming love.

(words-Robert Richardson, music- Wyeth's Repository of Sacred Music)

This is one of my favorite hymns. Perhaps it's one of your favorites as well. I was thinking about this hymn this morning, particularly a line in the third verse. That line says, "prone to wander, Lord, I feel it. Prone to leave the God I love."

The "prone to wander" line leads me to recall the time the Israelites spent wandering in the wilderness, after they had left Egypt and before they entered the Promised Land. We're often "prone to criticize" the Israelites for their wanderings, yet we often "wander" as well, don't we? We're not always prompt in our obedience to what the Lord tells us to do, which can leave us wandering pretty aimlessly through life.

But today as I have been thinking about that line from the hymn, I've been thinking we could rewrite the line as "prone to complain". The Israelites complained a lot on their journey through the wilderness. They complained about the food. Or more accurately, the lack of all the good food they had enjoyed in Egypt. (I guess they forgot the part about being slaves!) They complained about the dust. And about having no water. Complain, complain, complain.

It's the American way, isn't it?  Complain about everything! We are a complaining people. We complain about the weather. And the traffic. About politicians. About everything

But it isn't just "those people" who are complainers.  I know I find myself often doing the same thing. Particularly recently as I have been having some challenges with medications and insurance. But if it weren't that, it would probably be something else. Complaining instead of being grateful. Shame on me. Shame on us. We Americans are such whiners! Why is that? Why are we such complainers? Why are we never content, but always finding something else to complain about? It's too hot. It's too cold. It rains too much. It never rains. And on and on we go.

We aren't born with a "contentment gene". Contentment is a learned behavior. Paul didn't say "I am content." He said, " I have learned to be content." (Philippians 4:11 NASB)

How do we learn that kind of contentment? In the same way as we learn anything else. By practice.  By repetition. By focus.  Focusing on the reasons we have to be grateful, rather than on the reasons we have for complaining.

This morning my Bible reading led me to this verse: "For of His fullness we have all received, and grace upon grace." (John 1:16). Today would be a very good day to stop our (my) whining and complaining, and to begin focusing on the grace we have received. Today would be a very good day to stop complaining and start being thankful. Today would be a good day to start learning to be content. 

It's a good way to "tune our hearts to sing His grace".  A good way to change focus away from complaining and toward contentment.

Why not begin learning today?

"I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content......In any and every circumstance I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need.  I can do all things through him who strengthens me."  (Philippians 4:11-13 ESV)