A joyful heart is good medicine,
but a crushed spirit dries up the bones.
Proverbs 17:22
Recently I've been working on not complaining. I feel like I've come some distance when it comes to keeping my mouth from complaining about the things around me that I consider "bad."
But in the past couple days I've been learning that my mouth hasn't been sinning through complaining as much as it used to, but my heart has been sinning just as much, if not more.
My heart is the real battle zone. Before I was guarding my lips, but the sin of complaining was still destroying me from the inside out. My attitude has been "drying up [my] bones." I feel tired and overworked regularly. After reading this verse I believe I am to blame for my fatigue. I've told myself over and over that my circumstances are terrible, that I have to do more work than I deserve, etc. If I'm telling myself this all the time, it's no wonder that I feel worn out and depressed.
In the past couple days the Lord has been teaching me that I am to praise Him at all times. He is sovereign. He gives the good and the "bad." Who are we to question Him? Especially since He brings about good from the bad (Rom. 8:28). If we take this perspective and look at things from God's point of view, we will have joyful hearts and that joyful heart will spread to every circumstance.
What can I be joyful about? God and His mercy. God and His promises. God and His blessings. What is there not to be joyful about?
Forgive me God for complaining against You. Give me a joyful heart that will be good medicine for myself and for others. Amen.
I have also been struggling with the temptation to complain, as the work of having two little ones and maintaining a home and garden is intense. I do believe that sometimes we need to re evaluate and cut back on what we do, but even in the midst of doing so we have to trust God and seek to be joyful. I fail at this! I will be praying for you as you seek to be joyful.
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