The rumblings of a grumbling

Today’s Reading: John 6:43 (NIV)

“Stop grumbling among yourselves,” Jesus answered.

Good day!

I have a nasty little habit and I may as well confess it right now: I’m a grumbler. Sometimes I grumble a lot. I find myself grumbling about the most insignificant things, especially when I don’t feel good. Our whole family was quarantined this weekend because of some crazy little stomach virus that kept all of us locked inside the bathroom with the plague. It’s a good thing I had a big bottle of Lysol® just waiting in the laundry room closet for a moment such as this. I needed all the disinfecting help I could get. Have you ever been so sick yourself, and found that you were also taking care of others who were sick too? I grumbled a LOT this weekend. It’s really hard to stay healthy when you find yourself swimming upstream in a sea of sickness.

You see, I come from a long line of grumblers. I know it’s a nasty little habit. I could sit here and make excuses for my potty mouth by passing the proverbial buck, because, in all honesty, I’ve learned to grumble well by example. I might even go as far as to blame my genetic makeup for this unsavory little character trait. Actually, since it does seem to be in my genes, traced all the way from back to Adam and Eve in the garden, then maybe then I should applaud it, contending there’s nothing wrong with this grumbling fettish of mine. Who said it’s not okay to grumble? In fact, everybody should accept it as a societal norm. It is who I am and therefore, I should be proud of it! Anyone who disagrees with my grumbling tyrades must obviously hate me. I guess that makes anyone who refuses to accept my grumbling rumblings, a "grumblephobe."

I know deep down inside that I’m a hard egg to crack. It's going to take a miracle to change the condition of my heart. You see, there are moments when I’m grumbling, and I can get on a real roll! I've learned to grumble with the best of them and hold my ground. But even then, I admit I’m just miserable on the inside. It’s like that nasty churning inside my stomach that I suffered with all weekend long. I wondered if it would ever end, wanting it to stop. Enough is enough.

Jesus knew a good grumble when He heard it. His very own community of faith was grumbling about Him AGAIN. They just couldn’t move past the notion that Jesus could actually be divine. They only saw him in the physical realm. Their faith lenses were clouded by their comfortable religious traditions. They knew Messiah would one day come, but this guy didn’t fit their Godlike mold and they weren’t about to accept anything He had to say.

Jesus responded, “Stop grumbling among yourselves.” He didn’t elaborate or give a good reason why. He simply said, “Stop it.” Let me tell you - I really needed this passage of Scripture today. It not only helped settle my queasy, upset stomach, but it helped calm my churning soul.

Thank you, dear Father, for loving me enough to correct me when I’m wrong. Stop me before I even start. Disinfect me with Your Word, I pray. Please give me Your grace and strength to overcome the rumblings of a grumbling that begins with a single thought, simmers inside my heart, and spews out the mouth. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Grace and peace,

Deb Spaulding

Faith UMC - St. Charles, MO

www.songofdeborah.com

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