Mountain Laurels

When the storm has swept by, the wicked are gone, but the righteous stand firm forever.

(Proverbs 10:25 NIV)

I thought to myself, "If we're lucky, this is what will happen to all who complained about the snow this winter!" The other day I began noticing how many people were complaining. Everywhere I went, people complained. I came home, picked up the paper and guess what the article on the front page informed me I should expect-severe depression from all the snow! I thought,

"Enough, already! I'm sick of listening to everyone complain!"

Smug and warm in my blanket of self-righteousness, I thought to myself, "When I write the next article, I'll complain about them! The more I thought about what to say, the less the article began taking shape. "Why can't I pull this together?" I thought. "I know God must agree with me! Why won't He help me put these complainers in their place?" Then, as I tried to write, I began to have 'insights' into how a person becomes a chronic complainer. Actually, as I began to have these 'insights', a person's face began coming to mind. "Gee, that guy looks familiar!" I thought. Suddenly, I remembered where I'd seen him: this morning when I was shaving!

Coincidentally, my most recent binge of complaining was also this winter; it began this fall while out of town guests were visiting. Before Thanksgiving, I was already out of room to plow the snow. Christmas Day brought more out of town guests and plenty of cold weather. On December 29, so much snow fell that our guests were considering staying longer. I assured them that since our next guests would be arriving the day of their departure, I would stay up all night plowing to make sure they could leave at 4:15 AM to catch their flight. As the winter and snowfall continued, my snow plow began to help me sharpen my complaining skills; the starter died, the clutch was gone, the brakes failed, the heater quit, the front wheel drive disintegrated, the lights burned out, the front door fell off, the engine caught on fire destroying all the wiring, and the plow was torn completely off the truck-twice. By this time I was a crackerjack complainer, but could only see the problem in others. Behavioral warp enthusiasts would say I was in 'denial'. The apostle Paul said, (in a manner of speaking), 'It takes one to know one…':

You, therefore, have no excuse, you who pass judgment on someone else,

for at whatever point you judge the other, you are condemning yourself,

because you who pass judgment do the same things. (Romans 2:1 NIV)

Jesus gave my behavior a different name:

"Do not judge, or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you. "Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother's eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? How can you say to your brother, 'Let me take the speck out of your eye,' when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother's eye.

(Matthew 7:1-5 NIV)

The dreaded hypocrite! …caught in the very act! Could I be the one referred to by all the people who refuse to turn to God? Very likely…according to the apostle Paul's letter to Christians at Philippi:

Do everything without complaining or arguing, so that you may become blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a crooked and depraved generation, in which you shine like stars in the universe as you hold out the word of life… (Philippians 2:14-16a NIV)

In light of this verse, by complaining about complainers, I give the very people to whom I hope to hold out the word of life the right to blame and find fault with me. I have helped keep the 'hypocrite excuse' alive!

So! If you want to complain, go right ahead…I'll even listen if you'd like! I do, however, need to tell you something I uncovered doing research for the first article that I canned:

Now the people complained about their hardships in the hearing of the LORD, and when he heard them his anger was aroused. The rabble with them began to crave other food, and again the Israelites started wailing and said, "If only we had meat to eat!" Moses heard the people of every family wailing, each at the entrance to his tent. The LORD became exceedingly angry, and Moses was troubled. The LORD said to Moses and Aaron: "How long will this wicked community grumble against me? I have heard the complaints of these grumbling Israelites." But the people grew impatient on the way; they spoke against God and against Moses, and said, "Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the desert? There is no bread! There is no water! And we detest this miserable food!" Then the LORD sent venomous snakes among them; they bit the people and many Israelites died.

(From Numbers 11:1,4,10; 14:26,27; 21:4-6 NIV)

Besides…

Even a fool is thought wise if he keeps silent, and discerning if he holds his tongue.

(Proverbs 17:28 NIV)

Won't Spring be lovely this year!