Who doesn’t complain about one thing or another, probably on a weekly basis? The people of the Old and New Testaments were no exceptions. Even the apostles voiced complaints from time to time. Often they didn’t understand Jesus’s teachings, and they didn’t realize their own worth. The Israelites wandering in the desert raised a continuous litany of complaints: “We are thirsty! We are hungry! We want to go back to Egypt! Who put you in charge?”
When we complain, we cover up the glory of God. Psalm 42 says that when we complain we are hindering the work of the Holy Spirit and the cultivation of the virtues. After all, complaint is the direct opposite of the virtue of gratitude, being thankful for what we do have that has been bestowed upon us by God’s grace each day.
Those of us in the work environment know that nothing can tear us down more than complaints. This also holds true for complaints within our own homes. If we look at what we can replace our complaints with, namely gratitude, we can turn the complaint around very quickly. Gratitude for our job, for the lessons we learn from our co-workers and the people we serve. Gratitude for our families, our children, our parents, our homes.
Instead of fighting against the Holy Spirit, we should look to the Spirit for encouragement. What if we asked the Holy Spirit to encourage us, to lighten the complaint, to replace our grievance with joy and peace? Perhaps that joy and peace can come from Christ Himself.
Remember Psalm 23. As God’s people, our cup already overflows, having received so much grace in Christ Jesus. Maybe we need time to walk through the green pastures with Christ, to talk with Him beside the still waters. In this time of quiet conversation, could we flush out the source of our complaint?
The Israelites in the desert were hungry. They no longer wanted to bother with the manna that they had to collect each day for survival. Our complaint may also be based on our earthly wants. In the case of the Israelites, it was the desire to eat “meat” (Num 11:1-9). Yet, the manna, unbeknownst to them, was the true bread that would sustain them in faith. Wanting earthly things cost the Israelites their promise and ultimately cut them off from God. What He offered was not enough for them.
Maybe our complaint is a signal that we are hungry, too. If we are being true to ourselves, we most likely hunger and thirst for something this world cannot give. Only Christ can give us what we seek.
But doesn’t Jesus offer His holy bread, His holy body to us every day to feed us at Mass? Did He not send the Holy Spirit to be with us, in us? What could be more? Is Christ not enough?
Miraculously, the sin that is at the root of our complaint, can, through Christ, become a means to our healing. Think about the serpents that were set upon the Israelites in the desert when they were complaining of lack of food. After Moses’ intercession and the people’s quick repentance, God told Moses to create a bronze serpent to set up as a sign so that those bitten would be healed. “The sign of that which caused death, ironically became a source of healing” (Great Adventure Bible, page 177).
Likewise, the cross – a symbol of evil, pain and death – becomes an instrument of salvation and a sign of God’s love.
God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit (Romans 5:5). He gave His only Son on the cross to save us, to feed us, to heal us. What a zealous joy should fill our hearts and put our thoughts not on earthly complaints, but on the joys of heaven, filled as it should be with unending gratitude.
In 1 Corinthians, Paul explains that Israel’s grumbling in the desert is written down for us as instruction to overcoming whatever may tempt us to complain. “Now these things happened to them as a warning, but they were written down for our instruction. … No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and He will not let you be tempted beyond your strength, but with the temptation will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it” (1 Cor 10:11-13).
Paul goes on to explain in Galatians that “desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh.” Within the works of the flesh are jealousy, anger, selfishness, envy and dissension. But we must put on the fruits of the Spirit, which are love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. “And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires” (Gal 5:17-25).
When complaints arise, look to the cross. Make a list of gratitudes to outweigh the complaint and ask the Holy Spirit to give you peace and healing. Christ may be using the complaint to teach or guide us, to shape us in some way. Let go and hold out your hand to Christ. Pretend you are walking beside the still waters with Him and give love back to the complaint.
What if we tried this tactic from Numbers 21? Write down our complaint when it presents itself and then stretch out our hands and pray over it in the name of Jesus. Ask for understanding, a relinquishment from the devil’s desolation in your heart, and faith to know God’s will. This small step of prayer will help you overcome and persevere.
“Bear with one another; forgive each other if one of you has a complaint against another. The Lord has forgiven you; now you must do the same. Over all these clothes, put on love, the perfect bond” (Col 3:12-14).
April Parker is a teacher and member of St. Pius X Parish in Greensboro.