In case you haven't thought about it, there are other kinds of clutter
in our lives that might get overlooked. I'd like to address two of them. These are very important to get
out of your life.
1. Complaining and murmuring.
There are two sides of complaining-the one doing it, and the one who has to listen
to it.
Have you ever worked with a chronic complainer? There is always something
wrong with just about everything! It's too hot, it's too cold, the salad bar at the restaurant isn't fresh enough, my
steak isn't cooked to perfection, and on and on and on.
Guess what? We don't, and never will, live in a perfect world. I am
not perfect, you are not perfect, and we will not reach perfection in every area of life. I realize that there are times
that some things bother us. Sometimes I think some things are understandable. But when it's a habit, that's another
story!
Whatever happened to being thankful? How about not complaining to the waitress if your meal took 5 minutes
too long to make, and thank God you live in a country with an abundance of food! If your package from the post office
arrived one day later than expected, and it wasn't for anything of great importance, why not be thankful you didn't have to
drive clear across the country to pick it up yourself?
If your hair didn't fix perfect for work this morning, be grateful you have hair!
If your boss was a little grouchy today, still be thankful that you have a job!
You get
the idea. If you constantly look at the negative, you won't gain much ground, or it will be much harder to gain ground. You've got a defeated additude working on you.
So
if you are a complainer, make it a point to stop! Look at what is good. Think of what you can be thankful for.
As
for murmuring, that is the bosom buddy of complaining. Have you ever noticed folks that always have to add murmuring
to every sentence? Things like, "Oh crud!" Oh, man!" "Shoot!" You know, used
the wrong way, even "Sugar!" can be a murmuring! Just get out of the habit of murmuring and complaining. Not
only is it not good for you, it is not enjoyable for those
who have to listen to you.
2. Letting go of grudges.
Have you ever met someone who is always having issues with other people? Maybe
you've grown up in a home where Mom and Dad are always cutting someone out of their lives because of something they did that
was wrong.
Who do grudges really hurt?
Some things are definately hard to get over, but if you really want to get over
them, ask God to help you, and look back at your own imperfect life.
There are things I've done that have hurt other people that I wish I could go back and undo. But I can't--I have to
let them know I'm sorry, hope they will forgive me, and try to not do it again. If you are honest with yourself, there
are things you wish you could undo also.
When you are 35 years old, it is rather dumb to hold a grudge against an 18 year
old who wronged you. I'm just addressing regular things-they said something unkind, or showed disrespect, or made some
bad decisions. A young adult doesn't have near the experience we do as 30-40 year olds-remember they are still developing,
and are coming out from under the protection of a family that helped them with their decisions. Give them a break!
If
someone treated you wrong, give them the benefit of the doubt!
A few years back, my dad was very sick and we didn't know if he was going to live. Travelling back and forth
from Pennsylvania to Ohio to be at the hospital with him over a 21 day period, I was very stressed! I don't remember
what was said, but I remember snapping at my husband, even tho it had nothing to do with him---the pressures I felt had just
gotten to me! Thankfully he didn't hold a grudge and refuse to talk to me ever again! But you know, there really
are people that are like that! One wrong move, and the friendship is OVER!
Why not try to
put yourself in their shoes? Were they facing some situation that was overwhelming? Were they young and didn't
have as much experience in life as you, so they said some dumb know-it-all things? Or maybe they were just being human?
Let's
calm down and try 10 times harder to get along! Let go of grudges-they can ruin your life. If you ever meet a
bitter, cold, angry person that can't get along with anyone, and always finds fault with everyone, then chances are you will
have met someone who is a grudgeholder. Do you want to be like that too?
Getting rid of
complaining and holding grudges really does fit into the "Less is More" category! I hope everyone will work
on it today!
