Can't Complain?

"Do all things without complaining and disputing, that you may become blameless and harmless, children of God without fault in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world." Philippians 2: 14-15

Its cold today! I mean really cold! For a southern town that doesn't see much of winter, its got us in its clutches & won't let go. After the beautiful day last Friday, I knew that snow & cold were in our forecast but it still seems unexpected. But we are breaking the records today with our cold. Especially when there is wind. The wind chill factor makes the temperature more than double what the thermometer says. And I can feel it chill me to my bones. And I'm grumbling about it.

Got to work today & the heaters in our office just aren't keeping up with the cold outside of the office. The floor is cold, my desk is cold, my hands are cold. So I'm grumbling about that too!

We found an extra heater, the type you plug in, to help take the chill off the air & it started to warm things up, until it flipped the breaker. So we had to unplug it...and I grumbled some more.

If you're anything like me, sometimes you get comfortable with your discomfort. Grumbling & complaining feels good. Somebody hear me! Somebody sympathize with me! Don't solve it, just feel sorry for me! What an attitude! Its amazing the gentle way God reminds us to smarten up! My husband phoned to tell me he was about to go to work on a rooftop unit outside in the wind. *ouch* My grumbling suddenly seemed petty.

View from my living room window at lunch today

And then I started to think, what do I have to complain about really? At least I'm clothed & sheltered. When many are dying on the streets due to the extreme cold, I'm complaining because I'm a little chilly. When many are out of a job, I have one that pays me well enough to live in a house that also keeps me warm. I live in one of the warmest climates in all of Canada, what would those living in the north think of my grumbling? What would those desperate to find a job think of my grumbling? What does GOD think of my grumbling? He tells us in Philippians 2:14 to "do all things without complaining..." and reminds us in Philippians 4:4 to "Rejoice in the Lord always". Oh where is my rejoicing today!

Thank you Lord for those gentle reminders to stop complaining!

And thanks to those of you that have left comments on my blog so far. Its very encouraging!