Grumbling is Unproductive… and Contagious
Rioters Burning Dr. Priestley’s House at Birmingham, 14 July 1791
(Painted by Johann Eckstein) (1971) {{PD-US}}
“Then they despised the pleasant land; they did not believe his promise. They grumbled in their tents and did not obey the Lord”
– Psalm 106:24-25.
The Israelites were a nasty, unruly lot as they left Egypt and made their way to the Promised Land. Even though God had showed Himself strong on their behalf and parted the Red Sea, they were obstinate and gave Moses a hard time and angered the Lord. One of the behaviors that characterized them during their Wilderness experience was grumbling, which is a form of complaining about their lives, conditions and provisions. They did this grumbling in their family tents, thus contaminating one another, creating a downward negative spiral that led them to disobedience and rebellion. Paul addressed the practice of grumbling in one of his epistles:
“Do everything without grumbling or arguing, so that you may become blameless and pure, “children of God without fault in a warped and crooked generation. Then you will shine among them like stars in the sky”
– (Philippians 2:14-15).
Have fallen into the habit of grumbling? Do you complain about your life situation or the particulars therein? Do you gripe at home with loved ones, thus poisoning their perspective and teaching them to do likewise? Do you see the benefit of being positive and not dwelling on or rehearsing the negative?
Today’s reading – Psalms 106-110
John Stanko was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and attended Duquesne University where he received his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in economics in 1972 and 1974 respectively.
Since then, John has served as an administrator, teacher, consultant, author, and pastor in his professional career. He holds a second master’s degree in pastoral ministries, and earned his Doctor of Ministry from Reformed Presbyterian Theological Seminary in Pittsburgh in 2011.
John founded a personal and leadership development company, called PurposeQuest, in 2001 and today travels the world to speak, consult and inspire leaders and people everywhere. From 2001-2008, he spent six months a year in Africa and still enjoys visiting and working on that continent, while teaching for Geneva College’s Masters of Organizational Leadership and the Center for Urban Biblical Ministry in his hometown of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Most recently, John founded Urban Press, a publishing service designed to tell stories of the city, from the city and to the city.
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