#shutupandpray
In life there are stressors, many stressors. Right now I have stressors. Right now you most likely have stressors too. It seems like there is a lot of stress, a lot of the time, about all kinds of things. I do not know about you, but when I have a lot going on (which seems to be all the time) I really like to vent. Venting is not always bad in and of itself. Many of us need to process a situation by talking it out. The problem with venting is sometimes you vent, then you vent again and then you vent some more. All of the sudden you stop and realize that the venting stopped on the first round and every round of conversation since has really just been rehashing, which ultimately is really just complaining.
Ugh, complaining. I wish I did not complain so much! Now I am complaining about complaining!! I had an epiphany last year at the job and realized how much I was complaining about work. A few years ago, I had an epiphany in life and realized how much I was complaining about my life. In each of these instances, I really got knocked upside the head. Interesting thing was that I realized I was complaining OFTEN, but I really hated when other people complained. Well, that is gross. Why am I going to complain about this, that and the other thing if I cannot stand when other people do it? Hypocritical? Yep, it appears so and I am also not a fan of hypocrites, so I was losing all the way around.
Heart check time. Why do I complain? Each situation is different of course, but in each situation the complaints on the surface usually are not the problem. The problem usually goes way deeper. Be it a relationship, job, money, kids, a car, the dog, the weather or whatever – we are probably uneasy because of something deep. I do not know about you, but fear is usually the most common emotion at the base of my complaints. There are actually a couple definitions on fear, but this one is what I am talking about “a distressing emotion aroused by impending danger, evil, pain, etc., whether the threat is real or imagined; the feeling or condition of being afraid” (Dictionary.com). Did you catch that?! Whether the threat is real or imagined. Wow. This is why I love words. We know fear is an emotion, a state of feeling and we have all felt it. How often is our fear not actual and just imagined? Let me just go ahead and tell you - way too often, that is how often. Fear has kept me from so much in the past and it has contributed to my complaints. Now fear is of course not the only reason we complain, it could also have to do with anger, confusion, betrayal and all other emotions. Fear though, whether real or imagined is usually somewhere in the root of my complaints.
I complain because I am unsatisfied with where I am and I fear that things are not going to change. As a result, I complain. God seriously has worked on fear in my life, particularly over the last few years. Fear can cripple and dominate, causing an unsatisfied state of being. Now why would anyone want to live in that state of mind? That sounds awful. I have had to give up so much of my fear, real and imagined to be able to move forward and do anything in life. Once I give that fear over, it is a whole new world. What you thought was impossible is all of the sudden possible! When I started giving up the fear in my life situations regarding relationships, finances, my health, the job and other smaller areas things really began to change. Fear had such a power over me and I did not even realize it until I stopped complaining and started praying. My complaints became confessions because I was not having faith and trusting that God would work out each of these situations. Complaining resulted in blaming, praying resulted in freedom. Freedom from the fears that were weighing me down. Freedom of what I thought could not be to what I knew WOULD be! All things were possible. When I started praying, I complained less, I feared less, I believed there was so much more and I was only hurting and limiting myself by complaining. Let me be real with you, I am not saying I never complain anymore, I do not claim that. I do claim though that I complain so much less, I fear so much less and I know there is so much more in store than I dared to imagine before!!!
I was texting a friend a couple months ago about a situation that was a little overwhelming and I was feeling fear rise up. As I was talking and talking and talking about the situation I finally stopped. I said to her, let me stop. I am going to #shutupandpray because that is my problem right now. I am complaining about the situation and I have talked it to death at this point, so I just need to pray. When I prayed, I brought it all before God and He worked it out. Not that everything in the situation was wrapped up in a pretty bow and taken care of, that is not what I mean when I say He worked it out. He worked it out by working on me, working on my heart and working on my attitude in that situation. That is how we grow. Things happen, things suck, we have no control over many things and the things we do have control over we make poor choices in sometimes. We do not grow because those situations just magically disappeared out of our lives. We grow because we have to go through it. I am so unbelievably thankful for my friends who I can go to and talk about life. I am thankful that I am here for them when they need to talk it out as well. Let me just go ahead and be respectful of them though and try to limit my complaining, not in my own strength, but in prayer. Pretty sure they will be glad that I am not going on and on complaining about the same thing anymore! #shutupandpray
“Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you.” Jeremiah 29:12 (NIV)
“I can do all things through Him who strengthens me.” Philippians 4:13 (NASB)
“There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear.” 1 John 4:18 (ESV)