February 18, 2018               Complaint Free                                    

Are you a complainer? Do you find yourself complaining about those around you, about how unfair life is to you, or even about yourself? Have you ever paid attention to how often you complain? Has it become a constant ritual for your life? When people have pointed out to your that you are a complainer, do you make excuses for your complaining, like – It’s because I am a perfectionist, or complaining is cathartic, if I didn’t complain then I’d get ulcers, or complaining is good – it’s just me being honest with you. Yes, honest, not constructive. Do you know a complainer? Nothing is ever their fault, it’s always you, or someone else, who is the reason for their troubles in life. Does it seem to you like they are really perfectionists, like their complaining really makes them healthier or happier? Do you feel better about them being so truthful with you. Probably not!

You see, the problem with complaining, is that it doesn’t solve any problems. That’s the definition of complaining – and by stopping our complaining, AND coming up with constructive ways to overcome the problems we complain about, we can solve the problems we have, and more importantly, find peace rather than frustration in our lives. And that includes the lives of those around you.  

So, why am I talking about complaining? Well, one of my colleagues read a book about changing our lives by stopping our complaining. The book was called “A Complaint Free World”, written by Will Bowen. In the book, Bowen challenges himself and the members of his congregation to go 21 days without complaining, criticizing, or gossiping. And to aid his church members in this pursuit, he took a bunch of mail rubber bands, - you know those thick ones and dyed them purple so they could be worn on the wrist. And each time you catch yourself complaining, you have to switch the band to the other wrist and restart your day at 0.

The theory is simple, when we change our words, we can change our thoughts, and when we can change our thoughts, we can change our lives! And that gives us hope for a better life, and a better world. Which is where we meet our story about Noah this morning!

You see, when we get to the story of Noah, God has been complaining about human beings for quite some time. The bible itself says, that human beings got to the point where they were continually doing evil in God’s sight, and so God decided to wipe them from the face of the earth with a great flood. But it seems that after the flood, God looked down on the destruction, and had a change of heart. God decided that never again would God do such a thing, and as a reminder, God set God’s war bow in the clouds, and made a promise not just to Noah but to all creation to never do this again. From now on, God would be a problem solver, not a destroyer. God would no longer act out of frustration towards humanity, but would act to offer them hope.

Now I hope you can see the parallel between my discussion of the book “A Complaint Free world”, and what God does after he destroyed the earth with a flood.  Both involve recognizing the difference between destructive acts, and acts that give hope. Both involve an intentional repentence of being destroyers, and becoming people who give life to one another. In fact, I think that’s what Jesus calls us to do when he starts his ministry, preaching “the kingdom of heaven is at hand, repent, and believe in the good news.” He could have just as easily said, there’s hope for this world, it can be a better place, if you would just turn from your destructive ways, and believe in God’s love for your lives.”

Now don’t misunderstand me. Complaining is not the only self-destructive thing human beings do. But it is a very practical, down to earth, Lenten discipline that could be life changing, for those who choose to give it up. On Ash Wednesday, I encouraged those who joined us, to all seek a Lenten discipline, whether almsgiving, prayer, or taking better care of our bodies, as a way to become better disciples of Jesus Christ, and to realize a better life for ourselves and those around us. Each of these would count as the kingdom of heaven being realized in our lives. And that’s the Good News of Jesus Christ.