January 7, 2022 — Some Cheese might go nicely with that Whine

“I hate to admit this, my friend,” Stan said one morning while we waited for breakfast, “but, if I’m not careful, my native language tends towards whining and complaining.”

“Whining and complaining?” I replied. “What do you have to whine or complain about?”

“You’re the second person to ask me that today,” Stan replied.

“Who was the first?” I asked.

“The Holy Spirit,” he responded a bit sheepishly. 

“And what was that all about?” I asked.

“When I first got up this morning,” Stan said, “I just didn’t feel quite right. I couldn’t point to anything in particular, but I just wasn’t filled with joy. More whine and complaint than joy and praise.”

“But you seem fine now,” I commented. “Anything happen between then and now?”

“God happened,” Stan said with a smile. “As He is apt to do when I’m open to seeing and hearing what He has for me, He showed me something in His word that took care of any sense of my whining and complaining.”

“How so?” I asked.

“As I do every morning when I am starting my time of journaling,” Stan replied, “I prayed. I asked God to show me all He had for me. And guess what? He answered big time!”

Continuing, he added, “As I opened my Bible to the Book of Acts, the Lord showed me an account of Paul and Silas where they had every reason to feel down, but they did not.”

“Is that where they were in jail?” I asked.

“Yes,” Stan replied. “They had been unjustly accused, beaten with rods, thrown into the deepest part of the prison, and locked in stocks.”

“Yeah,” I said, “they had every reason to whine and complain.”

“But they didn’t,” Stan said, “and that’s what God showed me. They were praying and singing hymns of praise. Can you imagine? What a contrast to me and what I tend to do way too often. But, thankfully, the Holy Spirit asks me a question that I find really puts things into perspective for me.”

“What’s that?” I asked.

“Would you like some cheese with that whine?”

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Bible verses to consider:

And when they had inflicted many blows upon them, they threw them into prison, commanding the jailer to guard them securely; and he, having receive such a command, threw them into the inner prison, and fastened their feet in the stocks.  But about midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing  hymns of praise to God.  Acts of the Apostles 16:23-25.

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control; against such things there is no law. Galatians 5:22-23.

Be filled with the Spirit. Ephesians 5:18.

Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. James 4:8.

Prayer:  Father, you know my tendency to whine and complain about my circumstances, the way of the world, and all sorts of things.  Please forgive me.  And please help me to know in the depth of my being that I have absolutely nothing to complain about.  I am blessed beyond compare.  I know that and you know that.  Please lead me, and help me to follow, to exactly where you intend for me to be in continually offering praise and thanksgiving to you regardless of my circumstances.  May my life be one filled to overflowing with praise and thanksgiving for all you have done, all you do, and all you have for me as I choose to draw ever closer to you. Thank you I can and do bring these prayers before you in the name of Jesus.  Amen.

Think on this: Can you relate to how Stan described his “native tongue”? If the fruit of the Spirit includes “joy,” what could cause a Christian to whine and complain about anything?  How do you think Paul and Silas could do what they did in the circumstances in which they found themselves? Could you do that? Do you do that? If yes, how? If no, why?