Keep Complaining

As a parent, there is one sound above all others that makes me want to break things, and when I say things I mean anything! I would break almost anything to make this sound stop...an ipad, a Faberge egg, a priceless Van Gogh painting or an intact dinosaur egg. That sound is complaining. When my children (or anybody's children for that matter) go on a complaining binge it is like ice picks in my ears. Whether it's the piercing tone or the constant whining that embodies all compaint, it is a horrible thing for anyone to have to put up with.

When my kids complain, my response is to send them away. "You complaining? You're done. Go to your room. Do not pass go. Do not go to the bathroom. Do not get a drink of water. Do not take a breath of oxygen. Go directly to your room." To me, it is an undisciplined, ungrateful and selfish response to circumstances, and I won't tolerate it. But I do know someone who puts up with it.

I cry out to the Lord; I plead for the Lord’s mercy. I pour out my complaints before him and tell him all my troubles. When I am overwhelmed, you alone know the way I should turn.

Psalm 142:1-3

God cares about the details of our lives. Not just the, "going to church, giving in the offering, not telling lies," details, but the nitty gritty, daily issues of life. God cares about your headache. God cares about the fact that you don't know if you can pay all your bills. God cares about your car that is barely running. In short, God cares about the things that affect you. And more than that, he wants you to bring those cares to him.

Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you.

1 Peter 5:7

Sometimes when we approach God we come to him as if he is some angry being in the sky that we must appease with our polite contrition. We treat him like a rabbit in our back yard that we must approach very slowly and carefully because if we offend him he will dart off too quickly for us to catch. We see God as a petty being who won't give us what we want if we put him off in any way. Those views of God couldn't be any further from the truth. God cares about our problems and wants us to bring them to him. If we hurt, he wants us to tell him. If we are broken, he wants us to bring our brokenness to him. If we are angry at God and want to throw punches at him, he wants us to address it with him because he can take our punches and more.

God wants the real you. He doesn't want the job-interview you. He doesn't want the first-date you. He wants you...warts and all. So are there things in your life that you don't understand? Are there hurts that you are suffering? Are things just not going your way? Cast your burdens on Jesus because he loves you. And when you do, don't be surprised to find that God is in your corner.