At my church, we have been studying through the book of Exodus. For Mother’s Day, our Pastor led us in a study of the section where the Israelites complained—loudly. You might be asking when they didn’t complain, because it happened a lot. lol This teaching was from Exodus chapter 16, right after they’d been delivered from the Egyptians by the parting of the Red Sea.

“And the whole congregation of the people of Israel grumbled against Moses and Aaron in the wilderness, and the people of Israel said to them, “Would that we had died by the hand of the Lord in the land of Egypt, when we sat by the meat pots and ate bread to the full, for you have brought us out into this wilderness to kill this whole assembly with hunger.” Exodus 16:2-3

I left church that Sunday determined to do  better and not grumble or complain. Sadly, I have been a failure. An absolute failure.

While my intent was good, the practice of murmuring and complaining is so ingrained it’s almost impossible to root it out. I grumble without realizing I’m doing it. And, I’m wondering if I am alone in this. Somehow, I don’t think I am.

What are some of the things I grumble about? Let me list them and see if you do the same or something similar.

The weather: Living in the desert gets hot in the summer. I go on early morning walks, but now no matter how early I go, it’s still hot. I find myself wanting to grumble about the heat. Do you complain about the weather? Too much rain? Not enough rain? Too cold? Too hot? Too humid? Hmmm. Aren’t we all guilty of that sometimes?

Not enough time: I tend to take on too many tasks. Then I don’t have enough time to complete everything or am rushed. Don’t we all have busy lives? We gripe about having too much to do or sometimes we have the opposite problem and complain about being bored because we have too little to do.

Other people: I was shopping with my husband, the store was crowded, and people moved soooo slowly. I didn’t have any reason to hurry, but wanted to get what I needed and get out of there. Or, we’re driving and there’s a car in front of us that’s moseying down the road under the speed limit. Ugh! Where did they learn to drive? Haven’t we all been short on patience toward other people and found ourselves grumbling about them?

I could go on and on with examples of how we all murmur and complain. I realize the Israelites in Exodus were concerned about being in the desert with no food or water, which is a much bigger problem than what I mentioned, but still they weren’t trusting God. That was the real issue.

So when we complain about the little things in life—or sometimes big things—isn’t that a sign that we aren’t trusting God? We need to put on thankfulness instead of murmuring. We need to recall Who is in charge of our lives and how He desires good for us and leads us on the right path. 

Since that sermon in May, I have become much more aware of the times I grumble and complain. Awareness is a good step forward. I encourage you to ask God to show you when you are complaining and to help you stop. Listen to the nudge of the Spirit. Replace murmuring with praise and thanksgiving. It won’t happen overnight, but you will change.

“Do all things without grumbling or disputing…” Philippians 2:14