Reluctant Retiree

Have you ever found yourself complaining about something and later ask yourself why you were complaining? Lately I have been doing that a lot and I don’t know why. My life is good and the things that I complain about are not important.

Complaining rarely changes anything for the better. Oh sure, occasionally a business may give us a free meal to compensate for poor service. But if we return to this restaurant, the same poor conditions will probably prevail. When we complain about a person, they rarely think about changing their behavior due solely to our statements.

We complain because we think we deserve something better than what we are receiving. But is that really true? Do we deserve better? The Bible clearly states that no one is good or righteous in their own efforts. In fact, the Bible says that our so called righteousness is like filthy rags to God, who is perfectly holy.

Today, in church, we sang: “All my life you have been faithful. All my life you have been so so good.” If those words are true, and they are, what do I have to complain about? Romans 8:28 says, “And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.” So God will work everything out for good. Psalm 23 also tells me that His goodness will be with me all the days of my life. God is faithful to all His promises, including these about His goodness. I Thessalonians 5:24 says, “He who calls you is faithful; he will surely do it.” Given God’s forever faithfulness to His promise to always be good, what do I have to complain about?

What about you? Do you have something to complain about? If you love God, He works everything out for good. If you don’t love God yet, this promise doesn’t apply to you. But it can. You can believe in Jesus and turn your life over to Him. Then these promises, and so much more, apply to you.

Thanksgiving was two days ago. Many of us ate too much. But how many of us took responsibility for the pain that followed? “The food was too good.” “I just wanted one more piece of pumpkin pie.” “Grandma made me eat more dressing.”

We all have a hard time accepting the blame for our choices and subsequent failures. I played catcher in baseball when I was growing up. I am paying for it now with lower back problems. As an adult I didn’t go to the dentist for twelve years. My teeth bear witness to my neglect. I can trace back most of my current health problems to choices I made growing up and early adulthood. Do I accept the blame or do I curse my luck? Worse yet, do I pass the blame onto someone else?

When something bad happens to us, we tend to get angry at someone else. We blame the other driver for the accident. We blame the police for the ticket we received. We rage at the business for the shoddy product when we made our choice based solely on price. We find innumerable ways to deflect the blame off ourselves and onto others. While this may make us feel better in the short run, it doesn’t help us grow and mature into effective, growing, and godly people.

Proverbs 19:3 says, “When a man’s folly brings his way to ruin, his heart rages against the Lord.” How often have you heard someone say, “Why would God do this?” Or simply say, “Why me?” Shouldn’t we instead ask how we contributed to the failure or problem. Perhaps God didn’t do what we blame him for. Perhaps we are to blame. Let’s be honest with ourselves and with God. It will help us become better people. Honesty and integrity before men and God benefit these relationships.

Sometimes life can feel like an uphill climb. We start out on level ground and things are going smoothly. Then a small problem comes our way and the ground before us begins to slope gradually upward. We are able to negotiate the rise until another bigger problem comes upon us. Suddenly the ground rises to a more steep rise. With considerable effort we are able to make the steeper climb. Not much later a much bigger trouble assaults us and the climb is steep and arduous. We need rest but cannot find it in the middle of our efforts to climb to the summit of our troubles. All of a sudden several more problems pile on our backs like a backpack full of heavy stones. Now we are finding it difficult to move at all, let alone try to climb out of the troubles.

This is the type of situation that Paul described in Galatians 6:2 when he writes: “Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.” When we get to the point where we have the loaded backpack and are climbing a steep road, it is so good to have the help of good friends. Their assistance makes it possible for us to move forward and eventually summit the mountain of problems. Since this help is so beneficial to us, shouldn’t we also become burden bearers for others who need help.

Jesus set the example for us. We cannot bear the weight of our sin, so Jesus came and carried the full load up the mountain to the cross. At the cross He lifted sin away from us forever and gave us the grace of redemption and salvation. If we choose to keep sin’s burden upon our backs, Jesus will not take it away. But if we give sin’s burden over to Jesus, we are freed from it.

The weather has turned cold in our area and we will likely not experience 50 degrees weather again until at least March. So we turn up the thermostat and bundle up in warm clothes. All this in an effort to feel like it is Spring. Of course, in the Summer we adjust by doing the opposite, shedding clothing layers and turning down the thermostat. All these efforts are needed so that we can keep our bodies at a desired temperature.

We also have internal thermostats that measure our emotional, social, and spiritual temperatures. Our passions are said to be set aflame by desires. Interpersonal relationships run hot and cold. And our walk with God can vary by many degrees. We try to regulate these thermostats by self-control but generally do not succeed for long.

In the book of Revelation Jesus speaks to a church that has become lukewarm in their faith when He says, “I know your works: you are neither cold nor hot. Would that you were either cold or hot! So, because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth. For you say, I am rich, I have prospered, and I need nothing, not realizing that you are wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, and naked. I counsel you to buy from me gold refined by fire, so that you may be rich, and white garments so that you may clothe yourself and the shame of your nakedness may not be seen, and salve to anoint your eyes, so that you may see.”

Jesus is warning us all that He does not accept a lukewarm faith. If we are cold by denying Jesus, or lukewarm by failing to follow Him, we are blind to the truth, walking in darkness, and dressed in filthy rags. Only by believing in Jesus and following Him in obedience can we put on clothes of His righteousness, have our eyes opened to the truth, and be purified by His Spirit. We choose the spiritual temperature of our lives. We can remain cold to Jesus and suffer the consequences of our sins. Or we can allow Jesus to set our hearts aflame with love and grace.

Don’t you just hate it when you open a container and the contents do not match the packaging? How about when you order something online and eagerly await its delivery, but what you receive is far less desirable than what you thought you ordered. Despite truth in advertising laws and agreed upon ethics, the differences between what we think we are getting and what we actually receive seem to be growing.

People can also deceive us by saying good words but acting entirely differently. Some people preach peace, but turn into raging lunatics when confronted with poor customer service or a dangerous driver on the highway. Politicians promise to protect our interests while doing all they can to promote themselves. Religious leaders can make a mockery of their ministry and their faith by engaging in less than spiritual activities.

We all wear labels. Some are not justified by our actions, but are generated by other people out of jealousy and envy. But some labels we earn by our conduct, good or bad. Proverbs 20:11 says, “Even a child makes himself known by his acts, by whether his conduct is pure and upright.” So our conduct determines what labels we wear. Our label may list good qualities like kind, generous, helpful, loving, and honorable. But our label may use harsher words such as selfish, liar, rude, angry, and hurtful. Our words impact what our label says only in as much as they match our conduct.

Seek to have positive words describe who you are by following the One who is pure and upright in every way. Let Jesus change your label to read, “Beloved Child of God”!