Grateful
God Strongly Warns Us Not To Complain.
Philippians 2:14 NKJ says to do all things without complaining.
A few weeks ago I was hanging out with a friend. I had worked extra hard that day and I didn’t get much sleep the night before. I was tired and hungry, so I started complaining. It felt good to tell them everything I was feeling. Later, that evening, at home I felt poorly about myself and I realized my negative conversation and the complaining was making me feel guilty, like a gossip. I was so unhappy with myself. I didn’t want this awful feeling about myself to make me to fall back into the trap of self-hatred. As a child in a unsafe home I became a woman that didn’t like myself and I complained constantly how unfair life was to me. I complained in my heart about the abuse and neglect I experienced growing up; complaining gave me power over my situation. It soon became easy for me to complain - I did it without thinking. About twelve years ago, I asked God why I was so unhappy and he told me it was because I complain. After that revelation from the Holy Spirit I stopped complaining and was feeling a lot happier. But, to my surprise complaining had returned.
And I was hearing God loud and clear speaking to me, “STOP COMPLAINING!"
Most people complain 15- 30 times per day without realizing it. We go to work and complain about our children and spouse - when we get home from work we complain about our boss and coworkers. We live unhappy with everyone around us. Maybe you are like me and it is easy for you to drift into complaining without knowing it. Psychologists tell us our brains build bridges called neuron pathways so we can easily repeat thoughts. Your brain loves efficiency and when you continually complain it builds a permanent bridge making it easy for you to repeat the behavior without thinking about it.
Complaining rewires your brain, making you a negative thinking person, a complainer will look for problems and even attract them. Complaining can damage your brain, shrinking the hippocampus making it hard for you to think clearly –causing the effects of Alzheimer’s. Complaining leads to high blood pressure, makes you fat, anger and causes heart disease. Complaining makes it easier for you to divorce, lose friends, and struggle economically. We must be aware that our brains unconsciously mimic the moods of those around us - it is called neuronal mirroring. If you spend time with complainers you suffer these same ill effects. You should distance yourself from the complainer.
God strongly warns us to not complain. Philippians 2:14 NKJ say to do all things without complaining. The Bible teaches that complaining gives the devil a way to destroy us. 1 Corinthians 10:10 NKJ: Nor complain, as some of them also complained and were destroyed by the destroyer.
Most people believe it takes two things to stop the complaining: being grateful and being happy.
# 1 Learn to be a grateful person all the time. The main phrase in your vocabulary should be: Thank you. The thankful person has less stress, improved moods, more energy, less anxiety and depression. What we appreciate expands in our lives.
#2 Be a happy person who constantly makes lists of why you should be happy and then expresses it. Practice replacing complaining with gratefulness and happiness. 1 Thessalonians 5:18 ESV says, "Give thanks (appreciating, enjoying, praising) in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you."
I would like to start a stop complaining fast for the next 30 days.
Will you join me? 💗