Do everything without grumbling or questioning,
that you may be blameless and innocent,
children of God without blemish
in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation,
among whom you shine like lights in the world,
as you hold on to the word of life.
Philippians 2:14-16
Reflection:
This is one of the hardest things to do, not grumble about our woes. Or question the why of things. It is hard when we live in a world that supposedly seeks our good, but we find obstacles at every turn.
Much of the grumbling we hear today in our country, is why are those who come from another country get instant jobs, healthcare and so forth when we have many who suffer in our own homeland. I see this written all over the Internet and hear about it from many people out on the streets. This is one example of grumbling.
We have many things that we grumble about, our health, our families, our children. The cost of food, gas, utilities, healthcare. We grumble about our Priests, religious Sisters, and Churches. We grumble when it not the message we want to hear. We grumble when our meal is not perfect, or the house is not clean, the yard picked up. What do we not grumble about?
I'm not even immune to this, I grumbled at one time and it slips out occasionally. In today's readings we are told to go about our life without doing this, so we will be lights of the world. To give up the importance of what we all desire, comfort in our lives. We put more stock in what we have and keep it in a position of importance. Yet Jesus tells us what is important, to let go of these possessions and follow him completely.
We do need to have materials to live with, but it's in how much we give it a place in our life. Is our living comforts more important than God. Is the couch or chair we sit in more valuable than God's time. Do we love that chair because of it's comfort more than God. Do we love our pets more than the people in our lives and God. What importance is there in our lives that we need to push away from, to bring God closer to us.
Out of all this, once we put the right order into our lives, we will discover the grumbling will stop. Because then we will have put God first before everything else.
Wednesday, November 08, 2006
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4 comments:
These are Holy words MC. In my life I find that even blogging about God, has the potential of being more important than Him. Just as, in certain moments, teaching about Him and His Church a few years ago sometimes became more important than Him.
Sometimes the passion I put in my activities in reality drain me of the real reason for doing it. I believe it's called "attachment" and many mystics and saints warn against it. I notice that at times I become so aborbed by the internet that I don't hear my husband's grumbling...but I'm the one that has to put the right order into my life, not him! How do you or any of your other readers feel about this?
FMN, I have given up material possesions, I own nothing but a bed, chair, PC, a bureau, and yes a TV. The bank owns the car, I just drive it! What I do have is not important, because it could be gone today or tomorrow. And these things are just to allow me to rest. They are not my comfort, God is my comfort. In him I find all the love and joy that is necessary to life. God love you
By the way FMN, thank you for sharing with us your concern and how grumbling has affected your life.
I agree, MC. Thank you for bringing up the topic.
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