The Gift of Grievance

I know I am a blessed man living a blessed life. This has little to do with resources and everything to do with faith.  Many seem unable to see the blessings in their lives because grievances consume them.

This may be because their grievances, not their blessings, have become the focus of their lives.

In 1 Samuel 8, we see this play out as God's people cried out to Samuel for a king.

In this story, the people were disgruntled with their leaders. In this case, it was Samuel’s sons, and they demanded that Samuel appoint a king to lead them. As Samuel brought their demands before the Lord, He reminded Samuel that the people had repeatedly turned away from Him since He led them out of Egypt. Then He told Samuel, "They have not rejected you; they have rejected Me."

God told Samuel to give them what they asked for, but first explain to them what an earthly king would require.

Why is this important today? Because, as with the people of God then, our opinions and focus may reveal our dissatisfaction, but if we are not careful, the gift of grievance may lead us to look to someone other than God for our solutions.

I have said I am a blessed man; I understand not everyone feels blessed. My fear is that, if we are not careful, the search for a remedy may cost more than the problem itself.

How do we overcome our tendency for dissatisfaction? We start by looking up to God and realizing He has a plan for our lives, but we also need to realize He allows us to face the consequences of the choices we make.

I will close by saying this life is a blessing, and so is the freedom to voice our displeasure.  When we do, we must remember that using that freedom to express our grievances can have a cost we may not want to pay.

I pray our grievances never become so great that we fail to see life’s blessings.

Be careful what you ask for!

I know I am a blessed man living a blessed life. This has little to do with resources and everything to do with faith.  Many seem unable to see the blessings in their lives because grievances consume them.

This may be because their grievances, not their blessings, have become the focus of their lives.

In 1 Samuel 8, we see this play out as God's people cried out to Samuel for a king.

In this story, the people were disgruntled with their leaders. In this case, it was Samuel’s sons, and they demanded that Samuel appoint a king to lead them. As Samuel brought their demands before the Lord, He reminded Samuel that the people had repeatedly turned away from Him since He led them out of Egypt. Then He told Samuel, "They have not rejected you; they have rejected Me."

God told Samuel to give them what they asked for, but first explain to them what an earthly king would require.

Why is this important today? Because, as with the people of God then, our opinions and focus may reveal our dissatisfaction, but if we are not careful, the gift of grievance may lead us to look to someone other than God for our solutions.

I have said I am a blessed man; I understand not everyone feels blessed. My fear is that, if we are not careful, the search for a remedy may cost more than the problem itself.

How do we overcome our tendency for dissatisfaction? We start by looking up to God and realizing He has a plan for our lives, but we also need to realize He allows us to face the consequences of the choices we make.

I will close by saying this life is a blessing, and so is the freedom to voice our displeasure.  When we do, we must remember that using that freedom to express our grievances can have a cost we may not want to pay.

I pray our grievances never become so great we fail to see life’s blessings.

Be careful what you ask for!