For week two of our “Thanksgiving, No Complaining Challenge”, we’ll consider a brief history of complaining.

From the Red Sea to the border of the Promised Land, grumbling and complaining was an important part of the history of the children of Israel! They continued to believe it would be better to be a well-fed slave than a free person walking daily by faith in God who rescued them. They were forgetful of their past and fearful of their future. “If only” was their repeated refrain. They simply had a hard time believing that God was WITH them and FOR them.

The same sort of unbelief is at the heart of my complaining and yours:

– “If only I wasn’t so busy”

– “If only the umpires made a better call!”

– “If only everyone else drove as well as me!”

– “If only I had a better job/boss/house/car/situation!”

– “If only had been born into a different family”

– “If only it were the good old days again!”

The list goes on and on. “If only” is at the heart of our complaints, and the words express our lack of faith in God being with us and for us. We long to go back to the past. We fear the future. We doubt the goodness of God in the present.

But God IS for us. God IS with us. God IS in control and the path He has us walking is for our good and for His glory!