Stop Complaining…For The Most Part.

I listened to the Steve Harvey Radio Show on my way to work this morning and Steve talked about how people need to stop complaining and the reason why people complain so much and don’t see changes in their lives is because they lack a relationship with God.

Steve said that all the successful people he know personally have a relationship with God, and those who consistently complain do so because they trying to figure out life on their own strength instead of seeking God to show them what it is that He has for their life. I’m paraphrasing what all Steve talked about, so I’m gone hop right into what I thought about his advice.

I’m not going to tell people to simply stop complaining because that’s impossible. We’re human beings and we’re going to complain about things. Why do we complain in the first place? We complain because things are not going the way we want them to. If you go to a restaurant and ask for a well-done steak and when you cut into the steak you see pink, then you’re going to complain about it. You’re not going to sit there and be like “well, I’m just thankful that I can afford a steak, so I’ll just eat it the way it is.” No, you’re going to tell the waiter that your steak isn’t cooked the way you want it and you’re going to expect them to fix it. Expeditiously at that because they should have got it right the first time.

Telling people to stop complaining will make them feel like they’re a bad person every time they complain about something, or if they’re a Christian, then they’re sinning or don’t have a close enough relationship with God because they’re complaining.

Having a relationship with God won’t stop you from complaining but it will change how to complain and what you complain about. Having a relationship with God will prevent you from complaining first thing in the morning about the things that aren’t going your way. Instead, you will wake up and first, give God thanks for the things that are going right in your life.

I find something to complain about my job daily but complaining is not the first thing I do in the morning. And every time I think of a complaint, I also think about something I can be thankful for and look forward to like going home at the end of the day and enjoying my house and hobbies.

Another thing about complaining is that when you find something to complain about you should also find a solution to it. If you have no control over what you’re complaining about then stop complaining. If you can change what you’re complaining about then stop complaining and fix it. If you’re complaining about government and political decisions, then go vote. If you’re complaining about foreigners moving to America, then stop it, there’s nothing you can do about people exercising their freewill to move to a different country.

I complain about the Army all the time. That’s why I’m ETSing. I realize that a promotion and a change of duty station didn’t change my thoughts about the Army. My solution to my complaints is to stop complaining and just do what I gotta do until my contract ends or stay in and change what I can in the Army. Either way I must stop complaining because I recognize the complaint and now it’s time to find the solution.

The phrase “stop complaining” is referred to those who complain about things and do nothing about it. Those who can say they have nothing to complain about are those who

1. Have more things to be thankful for than to complain about.
2. Found solutions to their complaints.
3. Gave their problems to God and allowed Him to fix it.