Quit Complaining

When I write my blogs, they are usually aimed directly at me, and something that I am trying fix or work on in my own life. Today is the same thing. Earlier today I got in a discussion on Google+ about the police. Someone left a status that stated 

“Dialing 911 ensures the police arrive in time to chalk a line around the body”. 

For some reason that irritated me. Not because is was a true or untrue statement. But because it is indicative of the mindset our society has today. We complain. About everything. There is no positive outlook in todays society. In the discussions that followed that comment someone told me that back in the day the police presence was sooooo much better than it is now. My response was pretty simple I think.

Back in the day is a wide time to talk about. 50 years ago cops may have seemingly been everywhere, but if you go back 150 years marshals may only come to your area a few times a year. Fact is, cops or security of any kind is there to keep honest people honest. It's always been that way. If a criminal wants to do something illegal, they will if the cops are around or not. I agree there are things that could be done better, but to throw that entire profession under the bus seems just as crazy as saying they are perfect. 

We live in a messed up society, but that isn't anything new. 50 years ago people just didn't talk about it or make movies glorifying it. If tomorrow we woke up and the police presence was on every single street corner, we would be complaining about the money being spent on it and how our freedoms were being trampled. The problem I have is that today we are really good at pointing out the faults and complaining about big government, big business, and big brother. I just wish we would stop placing all this importance on these pseudo "problems". 

“Any fool can criticize, condemn, and complain but it takes character and self control to be understanding and forgiving.” – Dale Carnegie

I'm not saying we should have our head in the sand, but our world is soooooo pessimistic. Do you realize how much better life would be if we were people that spoke and acted positively? Every positive comment made today seems to be followed with a complaint (ie "I love our soldiers but this war is evil"). I'm scared to raise my son in today's society because I don’t want him tainted by this "everything sucks" mentality. When someone actually is positive, they are lambasted as crazy, and oblivious. I'm sorry, but societal problems aren't new, and they aren't worse. They just are.

If you believe in Christ, then we should never be a part of this mindset. He came for something completely different than this. To bring us joy.

The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full. John 10:10

And if you don’t believe in Christ....it is still a really bad idea to be negative all the time. It is widely accepted that our minds have the power to heal (positive thoughts bring positive results). If that is true, then the opposite would hold true as well. All the negative thoughts are absolutely killing us from the inside out. Where is the joy in that?

“When you consistently maintain a positive frame of mind, you’ll become known as a problem-solver rather than a complainer. People avoid complainers. They seek out problem-solvers.” – Joseph Sommerville 

Im really good at complaining and pointing out the bad in the world, but I don’t like that about myself, so I am going to do my best to quit complaining. Maybe you should too.

peace - love - recycle

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Hope

I was listening to a podcast this morning and they were talking about an actor that tried to commit suicide this past week. He shot himself in the head, but thankfully had survived. I hope and pray that this is a wake up call to him that life is really worth living, if he makes the changes to find his inspiration in other places. He has been in tons of huge movies and tv shows. We would all, no doubt, recognize this man. The show then took phone calls. There were callers that offered condolences and sadness over the situation. But there was one caller that was angry. He spoke of how this actors life was so much better than his own. How this man had money and fame, and he was a selfish crybaby for doing this. One of the guys on the show said something in response to that caller that, at the time, was glossed over....but was incredibly profound to me. He said, “It doesn’t matter what you have because money can’t cure sadness”.

It amazes me how many of us constantly look for something to cure our problems. It may be fame, money, the opposite sex, or drugs. Sometimes it isn’t even something that is inherently wrong or sinful. There are people that are always seeking to be successful in their work. Even pastors can get caught up in trying to grow their ministry or congregation. Doesn’t seem like a bad thing at all. In fact it seems like a great thing. But remember who our hope is supposed to be in. 

I will say of the LORD, “He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust. Psalm 91:2

I will leave you with this. We can all agree on this statement: “A man that has a million dollars and God on his side, is the same as the man that just has God on his side”. But for some reason we have a harder time understanding this one: “A man that has a vital and growing ministry and God on his side, is the same as the man that just has God on his side”. But it’s true. You can have an awesome outreach, a Christ centered family, a drug problem, fame, fortune, or the best friends in the whole world.....if you are finding your hope in any of these....you are not going to be fulfilled. None of these things are going to cure whatever it is that needs to be fixed. They may make life easier for a time, but in the end.....my hope is in Christ. If that hope isn’t the priority, then you need to rearrange you life. 

peace - love - recycle

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