Are You A Grumbler?

The story is told of a wife of a hard-to-please husband who was determined to try her best to satisfy him for just one day. "Darling," she asked, "what would you like for breakfast this morning?" He growled, "Coffee and toast, grits and sausage, and two eggs -- one scrambled and one fried." She soon had the food on the table and waited for a word of praise. After a quick glance, he exclaimed, "Well, if you didn't scramble the wrong egg!"

You may know of someone like this man. Perhaps you are this man (as it were). Such a person as the grumbler in our story may remind us of someone who is discontented with life. He or she struggles with happiness; they tend to have a “doom and gloom” outlook on things; and they are seldom thankful. They grumble about this, complain about that. Nothing is ever good enough. Being riddled with pessimism, they often nitpick and criticize nearly everything and everyone around them. This type of person excels at being a back-seat driver or an armchair quarterback: “They need to do it this way?” – “That’s just stupid!” – “If that were me I’d...” (and so on). While we all may have an opinion on some issue, the faultfinder believes he or she is everyone else’s measuring stick. More is the pity. What was it that the apostle Paul warned? “Do not be wise in your own opinion” (Rom. 12:16).

God has a very dim view of grumbling and complaining. In Numbers 11:1-2 God punished Israel with fire because of it. Later, in the same chapter, (vv. 31-33) He sent a plague among them for the very same reason. The apostle Peter said that Christians should “love” and “be hospitable” – without grumbling (1 Pet. 4:8-9). Paul said, “Do all things without complaining and arguing” (Phil. 2:14). And James adds, “Do not grumble against one another, brethren, lest you be condemned. Behold, the Judge is standing at the door!” (Jas. 5:9). With that said, friends, let me ask you: are you a grumbler?

Aaron Veyon