Gratitude Over Grumbling
It was around 9:30 at night when we
heard the sounds of an engine close to the house. A snowblower? Or a salt truck
on the road? There had been heavy snowfall all day long and into the evening,
piling up on the walkways and forming big mounds over the shrubs in the
yard.
Then there was a clatter on the
front porch, with the largest of the two windchimes clanging. I opened the
front door in time to see our neighbor, Curt, with snow shovel in hand,
standing on the porch rubbing his head.
“Oh,” he said grinning. “I didn’t see that
windchime!” Had we known he was coming, we would have turned on the porch light!
Curt and his son, Ethan, worked together
mowing lawns in the spring and summer, raking leaves in the fall and doing snow
removal in the winter. It was a way that Curt could spend time with Ethan, while
helping him save money for college.
After spending all day working at
the office, it was dad who came to help that evening, first using a large
snowblower to clear the driveway and walkway to the house, then shoveling the snow
off the porch and sunroom steps.
“Curt, you didn’t have to come tonight,” I
said, shivering from the cold. “This is above and beyond the call of duty.”
He smiled, looking ever so much
like Santa, with ruddy cheeks, twinkling blue eyes, a roundish form underneath
his heavy winter coat, and snow covering his wool hat and eyebrows.
He turned down an offer of hot
chocolate, saying “No thanks, I’m good.”
I shut the door as he walked back
through the swirling snow to get the bucket of snow melt. With more snow on the
way, it was important to have the driveway and walkways cleared to prevent ice
from forming; but what a miserable night to have to be outside!
Honestly, my grumbling and
complaining would have been louder than the sound of the snowblower! “Too cold,
too windy, too hard…” But Curt seemed happy to help!
It snowed all night. When I looked
out the window the next morning, there was his son shoveling the driveway. His
job was made easier by Curt’s work the night before. The father-son team set a
good example not only of a strong work ethic, but also of doing the job without
grumbling.
“Get me out of this horrid place!” I yelled. Without another word, we hopped back into the
car and continued down the highway.
Complaining—so easy to do, if not
out loud then quietly to myself. While it is easier to control the former, I
find that the real battle is in the mind. Unwanted complaints and negative
thoughts seem to pop into my head and lodge there.
Grumbling can get us into trouble,
as evidenced by the story of the people of Israel who, after being delivered
from slavery in Egypt, were about to enter the land God had promised to their
ancestors. Of the twelve leaders chosen by Moses to spy out the land, only
two—Joshua and Caleb—brought back a positive report, saying that it was a good
land. The others gave a frightening report of giants living in the land, of fortified
cities and of certain defeat.
In spite of the encouragement by
the two, the Israelites forgot the miracles God had performed for them only a
short time earlier and complained loudly, even threatening to stone Moses.*
Their complaints brought about dire
consequences from God—the God who loved them and had a good plan for them. If
only they had trusted Him!
God is listening, watching and searching
our hearts. Why not be honest and ask Him for help in controlling negative
thoughts and changing grumbling into gratitude?
“Finally, brothers and sisters,
whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure,
whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or
praiseworthy—think about such things.” Philippians 4:8 NIV
*Numbers 13,14
Pictured above: Our grandsons shoveling...the table? !! (2017)
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