Happy Hump Day, All!!
I am gonna jump right to the point today with something that first God convicted Terry and I about and since has burned in my soul.  I just had to share my thoughts.  The sin of grumbling.  Grumbling.  Big deal, right? Very big deal.  Especially to a Holy God.  The Old Testament records the "grumbling of the Israelites" and God's response to them.  He sent Moses, manna, quail, and dry land.  Yet, still they muttered in discontent.  It was too hot, too cold.  It was too lonely, too many people, not my kind of people.  It was too hard, too boring.  On and on they bellyached, griped, grouched, groused, growled and grumped.  "Oh get it together you babies", we scream at our Bibles on our laps.  Flipping the pages, but not before we roll our eyes at their lack of trust, faith and love in a caring Father, a huge God, an awesome Provider.  We want to go to something more relevant.  Something more now.  Something that God would want to say to the "church" to "me".  But wait, over and over Christ and the New Testament speak of instructions against not murmuring.  Jesus calls out His disciples in John 6:16 for grumbling.  Can you imagine being reprimanded by Jesus?  Then in Phil 2:14 Paul says to "do all things without grumbling or disputing"  Another verse even goes so far to say to "Show hospitality to one another with out grumbling" 1 Peter 4:9.  Could Christ be telling US not to grumble??  "I don't grumble Lord"  "Besides, if you had given me manna from Heaven I never would have grumbled"  "If you had parted the Red Sea right in front of me, I would never have grumbled"  "All you gave me was.....eternal life, pardon from sins....Besides Lord you don't know my mother in law, my mom, my co-workers, my friends, my husband, my kids, my church......you would grumble too Lord."   Ooops, girls dare I say we have a grumbling problem.  So what is a chick to do??  I have come up with only one solution and it is to SHUT UP!  This week I was so tempted to blast off on some different things in the media that had ruffled my feathers, offended my convictions and just really ticked me off.  I thought about several ways and places I could go about letting my feelings be heard.  I wanted to complain of unfairness to my faith.  A while ago I was privy to a conversation where someone blasted someone for having lots of kids.  I wanted to shout that it was none of their business.  I also had the blessing of being around some "dear Christian ladies"  who belittled in a nice way what I do everyday.  I wanted to spit back that what I was doing was indeed important!  Thankfully, and O so gratefully my Jesus held my tongue.  To my soul He spoke "will these people be won by your tongue lashings?"  The answer was a resounding "No, Father"  How then will a scandalous media, carnal Christians, and a lost world be won?  Jesus says by our love, by our actions.  Yes I suppose there is a time when a holy anger spurs us to say what needs to be said.  That was certainly the point of the prophet of Old Testament days.  But I couldn't help but wonder could my community, my world be changed by them watching me show Christ's love.  What does this look like?  Well for me it is staying home on one income, it is taking my kids to the grocery store with me and not grumbling. It is adopting 1, 2, or however many children from another race.  It is working to stay head over heels in love with my husband.  It is cooking meals for a couple in need of encouragement. It is loving the hard to love.  It is giving till I am spent physically and spiritually. That is weird.  That will get the "church" noticed.  Not our programs, not our rules.  Not our standards and convictions shouted at them.  But faith fleshed out right before there very eyes!!  I just want to encourage you girls the way Christ has shown me to SHUT-UP! :)  To live Christ-like loudly.  Like real loud.  Like let your life scream...I LOVE JESUS!!!!  From the words of Ron Hutchraft   to face the hypocrisy between our spiritual image and our private (or public) trash talk.  This way is so much harder.  It is easier to talk.  To yammer.  But Christ calls for hard.  Do hard with me.  Go on, Shut up!
Pressing on,
Carrie