Are you a grumbling volunteer?

(Author Plank-In-Eye-Warning: I have a veritable loggers’ playground in my eye. Thank you to Growing Faith for helping me see it. I hope your speck is easily dealt with).

Q&A with a grumbler

Q: Do you give of your time to your church?
A: Yes, I take some biscuits for morning tea, I help at Sunday School, I preach, I help at the Working Bee....

Q: Is it something you do joyfully?
A: Of course,... well usually...sometimes we forget until the last minute and it is a hassle to get everything together, it can be stressful you know.

Q: Are you always joyful about it?A: err, see above.

Q: Has a child heard you grumbling (or not being positive) about having to do it?
A: I hope not, but...

Q: Has a child heard you grumbling (or not being positive) about your husband/wife having to do it?A: See above.

An experienced grumbler

Grumbling has always been one of my favourite pastimes. Having arrived in Australia about 8 years I got a boost to this activity because being English it now became something that was expected of me and something that I just had to do – it is part of my DNA, I cannot escape it, I should not deny it. My colleagues would wait for my latest complaint... “there are too many traffic lights”, “why don’t the senior staff meet deadlines?” I got into the swing of things nicely and cemented the stereotype very nicely.

Fast forward several years and now that there are 3 pairs of little ears listening to me (some of the time at least!) and I wonder what it is they hear their father talking about.

One of the main activities we do together is go to church. Most weeks one of us parents is rostered on for some activity or another. Most of these mean we are supposed to get there a little early. It often means that the rostered parent has to do some last minute practice or preparations leaving the other parent to make sure we are all ready to go in time (have we all tinkled, do we have enough snacks/nappies/wipes/comfort toys, what was last week’s memory verse?). This all increases the rush and increases the chance slip of the tongue that morning.

Then there is the time after church when we discuss some other aspect of the gathering... ”I don’t know why we had to bring cakes –no one ate them and there was so much waste”, “Kid’s Church was tough this week, X was there again, she is so disobedient it ruined my main point”, “no one thanked me for my reading”, “I’m glad that is done and dusted for another few weeks”.

God's word to grumblers

Instead of me telling you why we need to be careful about our words, I'll let God explain the power of the tongue:

When we put bits into the mouths of horses to make them obey us, we can turn the whole animal. Or take ships as an example. Although they are so large and are driven by strong winds, they are steered by a very small rudder wherever the pilot wants to go. Likewise, the tongue is a small part of the body, but it makes great boasts. Consider what a great forest is set on fire by a small spark. The tongue also is a fire, a world of evil among the parts of the body. It corrupts the whole body, sets the whole course of one’s life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell. All kinds of animals, birds, reptiles and sea creatures are being tamed and have been tamed by mankind, but no human being can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison. With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse human beings, who have been made in God’s likeness. Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers and sisters, this should not be. (James 3: 3-10)

What goes into someone’s mouth does not defile them, but what comes out of their mouth, that is what defiles them. (Matthew 15:11)

The mouth of the righteous is a fountain of life, but the mouth of the wicked conceals violence
Sin is not ended by multiplying words, but the prudent hold their tongues.
The tongue of the righteous is choice silver, but the heart of the wicked is of little value.
The lips of the righteous nourish many, but fools die for lack of sense.” (Proverbs 10: 11, 19-21.)

Grumbling in front of kids

In front of our children our tongues are mighty indeed. It defiles not just us but also our children and it can possibly give an impression on our children of where our hearts are. Giving of ourselves in a church setting will often be hard and may cause worries and stresses on our lives, but we are all one body and a body functions best when everything is working together. Modelling this form of giving in front of our children is a privilege and whilst it may be hard we can model it better by doing it without a grumble. Paul reminds the Thessalonians to “Rejoice always”, then “pray constantly” and then “give thanks in everything”. This includes in the times when life may be tougher and particularly when we are modelling something that God likes us to do. 

Please pray for me this coming Sunday at about 8:24 as we all scramble up the steps from our house on the way to church....

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