By Norita Sieffert
Jolus, the main character in the book "The Seer of Remmon," is betrayed by his brother. And to add insult to injury he ends up a slave in a foreign country. He did not cause this to happen to himself. If anyone could complain, it would be Jolus.
Unfortunately Jolus does complain, and he complains quite a bit. And we are guilty of complaining sometimes as well. We plan things, but something doesn't go right and we get upset. Or we lay out agendas and someone comes along and changes them. This bothers us greatly. The Bible tells us that we are supposed to lay our plans with the Lord and trust Him to care for everything. But this is much easier said than done.
The desire to gripe is one of our biggest issues. But getting rid of it would mean getting rid of a big part of our humanity. None of us lives in a vacuum or on a desert island. We were created to live in community. Because of this built in characteristic, it is natural to want to share everything with other people.
Disclosing our good thoughts and feelings is perfectly fine. The issues start when we also want to disclose all of the bad stuff. When someone does us wrong we want everyone to know it. When that promotion doesn't come or we are passed up for some reason we insist on telling everyone how we have been slighted. There is a powerful desire to get others to commiserate with us and share that pain. This can be a good thing if we are grieving or when we've gone through a tremendous loss. But when it's because we think we've been ill-treated it is something else altogether.
King David felt a very great need to impart his hurt when he felt mistreated. But he was wise because rather than pouring out his hurt to others, he gave it to the Lord. We can read psalm after psalm where David's pen brimmed over with pain about how he'd been wronged. And he begged God to handle it for him and then he left it in God's hands. We should all follow David's example. But how do we do that?
First, we need to ask ourselves what drives us to need to share our pain with other people. What is it that urges us to divulge our feelings instead of keeping them quiet? Was some wrong done to us that we've never been able to overcome? Do we believe we are still mistreated for some reason? What is it inside us that leads us to think that God will not be enough?
We must be willing to scrutinize these issues. A lot of people have a keener than average sense of fairness. When things are unjust they get very frustrated and it makes them crazy. Examining the root cause can help a person find their balance again. The fact of the matter is that life is unjust and there's nothing we can do to alter things. But if you can't acknowledge this then you'll spend your life in distress.
Take a few moments to try and analyze these questions. If there are unsettled issues and you're able to do something about them then you should get started now before something happens that you'll regret. If there is nothing you can work through then look to God and ask Him to supply the grace you need every moment. The next time the issue crops up, be ready to look to God again and again and rely on His power to live through it.
"O LORD, how my adversaries have increased! Many are rising up against me. But You, O LORD, are a shield about me, my glory, and the One who lifts my head." Ps. 3:1, 3 (NASB).
Unfortunately Jolus does complain, and he complains quite a bit. And we are guilty of complaining sometimes as well. We plan things, but something doesn't go right and we get upset. Or we lay out agendas and someone comes along and changes them. This bothers us greatly. The Bible tells us that we are supposed to lay our plans with the Lord and trust Him to care for everything. But this is much easier said than done.
The desire to gripe is one of our biggest issues. But getting rid of it would mean getting rid of a big part of our humanity. None of us lives in a vacuum or on a desert island. We were created to live in community. Because of this built in characteristic, it is natural to want to share everything with other people.
Disclosing our good thoughts and feelings is perfectly fine. The issues start when we also want to disclose all of the bad stuff. When someone does us wrong we want everyone to know it. When that promotion doesn't come or we are passed up for some reason we insist on telling everyone how we have been slighted. There is a powerful desire to get others to commiserate with us and share that pain. This can be a good thing if we are grieving or when we've gone through a tremendous loss. But when it's because we think we've been ill-treated it is something else altogether.
King David felt a very great need to impart his hurt when he felt mistreated. But he was wise because rather than pouring out his hurt to others, he gave it to the Lord. We can read psalm after psalm where David's pen brimmed over with pain about how he'd been wronged. And he begged God to handle it for him and then he left it in God's hands. We should all follow David's example. But how do we do that?
First, we need to ask ourselves what drives us to need to share our pain with other people. What is it that urges us to divulge our feelings instead of keeping them quiet? Was some wrong done to us that we've never been able to overcome? Do we believe we are still mistreated for some reason? What is it inside us that leads us to think that God will not be enough?
We must be willing to scrutinize these issues. A lot of people have a keener than average sense of fairness. When things are unjust they get very frustrated and it makes them crazy. Examining the root cause can help a person find their balance again. The fact of the matter is that life is unjust and there's nothing we can do to alter things. But if you can't acknowledge this then you'll spend your life in distress.
Take a few moments to try and analyze these questions. If there are unsettled issues and you're able to do something about them then you should get started now before something happens that you'll regret. If there is nothing you can work through then look to God and ask Him to supply the grace you need every moment. The next time the issue crops up, be ready to look to God again and again and rely on His power to live through it.
"O LORD, how my adversaries have increased! Many are rising up against me. But You, O LORD, are a shield about me, my glory, and the One who lifts my head." Ps. 3:1, 3 (NASB).
About the Author:
Norita Sieffert is a professional speaker and published author who has spent a lifetime learning to overcome these very same issues, and conquers them one day at a time. She has fully committed herself to knowing and serving Jesus Christ. To explore her latest Christian fiction titles on Kindle, go to her online bookstore.
