Mike Edmisten Follower of Jesus. Husband of Nicki. Father of Ryan & Brock. Communicator of the Word.

Complaining vs. Thanking

How about a rare Friday post to warm you up on this icy, snowy Cincinnati morning? (If you're reading this in a warm, southern climate, please don't tell us about it and tempt us into the sin of envy.)

I shoveled our driveway first thing this morning. Normally I don't mind shoveling snow. Actually, I kind of enjoy it. I actually like winter and I enjoy snow. Most people think I'm weird, but I do like this time of year.

However, I do not like ice. The only place I want to see ice is in my drink. The snow we got last night would have been fine, except for the 1/2" of ice that fell on top of it, making it a crunchy, heavy, useless mess. Shoveling was not enjoyable today. It was too much like work to be enjoyable. By the time I was done, I was sweating bullets even though it was 25 degrees outside.

I did my fair share of mental complaining this morning. I didn't verbalize my complaints (didn't want my neighbors to see me talking to myself and think I was losing it), but the complaining was still going on in my mind.

Then, about halfway through the shoveling chore, a couple Bible verses popped into my head.

Do everything without complaining… (Philippians 2:14, NIV)

…give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus. (1 Thessalonians 5:18, NIV)

Do everything without complaining. Give thanks in all circumstances. These two verses immediately convicted me. I was doing a lot of complaining and absolutely no thanking. So I committed to finish the job in the exact opposite way that I started it. With lots of thanking and no complaining. With this change of mindset came some fresh insights of just how much I have to be thankful for.

I'm thankful that I have a driveway to shovel.

I'm thankful that I'm healthy enough to do physical labor.

I'm thankful that my driveway is fairly short.

I'm thankful that I have a home that kept us warm and dry last night.

I'm thankful for the beauty of a winter snowfall…even when it is topped with ice.

I'm thankful that my wife had a snow day today.

I'm thankful for the road crews who worked all night so I could drive in safety this morning.

I'm thankful that the worst part of my day has been shoveling some snow/ice.

It's really incredible what a simple shift of focus can do. And do you know how it happened? The Spirit of God reminded me of a couple of Bible verses. And after that, I make a conscious, intentional decision to change my attitude.

It really was as simple as that.