As an ice-breaker during our first 2005 supply chain management meeting, our supply chain manager went around the team asking each one of us our new year resolution. One of the line managers simply said this : complain less, compliment more. Just 4 words, but it resonated among all of us in the management team. Coming out from that meeting, all of us have added that to our list of new year resolution, including the supply chain manager himself.
As I was reflecting those words, I came up with this : complain less, contemplate more. We are living in a very interesting fabric of history when life demands so much from us. As we keeping running these cogs at high speeds, and as finite human beings, we naturally get tired and weary. You could probably relate to the last time (which may not be so long ago) when you felt easily felt irritable and kept complaining. Complaining doesn't have to be aloud. It can be happening right now in between both your ears. The scope of complaining that I am referring to here is not the reaction to the occasional breakdown of the neighbourhood ATM, but to structural circumstances of our daily lives. It could be an unfulfilling job, a naggy spouse/partner, a health condition or whatever it may be.
Have you notice the dynamics of a whirlpool? That is how the human mind functions. Feed anything closer to its core, it will just spin faster and faster around the vortex and then finally sinks in. Complaining is closely associated with negatively charged emotion like anger, worry, disappointment etc. I don't think that complaining by itself is a sin, it does, however, reinforce certain negativity deeper into our minds. And because of that, more often that not complaining exaggerates the situation, blowing it to unreasonable proportions. Prolonged complaining provides certain foothold, rendering ourselves spiritually vulnerable. God forbid that in Eph 4:27.
Contemplate more. That ought to be our automatic response in face of live's adversities. This is one area for drills when we are practicing the presence of the Holy Spirit. Here are some Bible verses which we can start with :Be still, and know that I am God (Ps 46:10)Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God (Phil 4:6)My grace is sufficient for you (2Cor 12:9)For I know the plans I have for you, plans to propsper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future (Jer 29:11)Contemplation should also go beyond personal boundaries of just prayerful attitude and reading the Word of God. Sharing with His people and seeking counsel of godly individuals in church is another form of contemplation. God speaks into our lives via different approaches. Hence's it is important to get that synergy for breakthroughs.
Too often too much energy is spent on complaining and is truly wasted in such an entropy. So, the next time you are about to burst into fits of complaints, pause for a moment and do a quick audit of the yourself and the situation. Say a quick prayer if you must. It elevates us from being a victim of circumstances to a position of empowerment.
posted by Mel-Vern @ 7:36 AM
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