There it was, staring at me.  I had already washed all the dishes, the crystal, the silverware and wiped off the counters.  I thought I was finished until I saw that blue platter.  Yes, I loved it!  It had a turkey engraved on its porcelain finish and I loved to take it out of the cabinet every year for the turkey at Thanksgiving.

But it is located on the bottom of lots of other dishes and to put it back means getting on the floor, taking everything out and then placing it back in its place amidst the casserole dishes and other platters.

My husband heard me complain and his remark was right on target, “Is putting the platter back worth a complaint?”

No, it isn’t.  This was Thanksgiving after all and we had spent the evening with a bounty of food, family all around, a warm house and everything anyone could ever want, giving thanks to God for our many, many blessings.

Why do we complain when we have so much?  One of my daughters told me about a new expression going around.  Most problems in life seem to happen in third world countries so when a person living in our type of country complains it’s called, “a first world problem.”  In other words, it’s not a real problem.  Like putting away a heavy platter.  Or complaining when we have to wait in line for a coffee that costs what most people get in a weekly paycheck.  Or fussing when it’s too hot or too cold in the house.  “Sounds like a first world problem to me,” she would say.

One thing I do know is that God hates complaining and complaining people.  When we complain we are in essence saying that God is falling down on the job.  He isn’t doing what we think should be happening.  It’s like running all over town for that one special present you know your child wants and when you finally find it and wrap it and hand it to her and she opens it and says, “But I wanted a blue one, not a red one!”  How do you feel?

My prayer for myself and for you is that we put a guard over our thoughts and words so that whenever a complaining one starts to come forth, we stop it.

Then we will be living lives of true gratitude, which will reflect praise and glory to our Lord.  Now that’s something to be thankful for.

Manna from Heaven

“So Moses and Aaron said to all the sons of Israel, ‘At evening you will know that the Lord has brought you out of the land of Egypt; and in the morning you will see the glory of the Lord, for He hears your grumblings against the Lord; and what are we, that you grumble against us?’  And Moses said, ‘This will happen when the Lord gives you meat to eat in the evening, and bread to the full in the morning; for the Lord hears your grumblings which you grumble against Him.  And what are we?  Your grumblings are not against us but against the Lord.’”  Exodus 16: 6-8

“Do not complain, brethren, against one another, that you yourselves may not be judged; behold, the Judge is standing right at the door.”  James 5:9

“Be hospitable to one another without complaint.”  I Peter 4:9