Being Satisfied in Christ

I tend to complain way more than I should. In fact, I’ve written two similar devotionals on this topic. You can read my first one here. Then, here is today’s devotional on the same topic.

If you are a subscriber to my blog, you probably read that I received another notice recently to report for jury duty. When I say another notice, I also received one for potential jury duty service last year for this same court and time period. In fact, I can’t tell you how many times I’ve been notified to possibly serve as a juror within the last decade. All the while, I have other friends who have never been called.

Now, please don’t misunderstand me. I’m not saying I don’t want to serve my community in some way. However, I am frustrated with the frequency that my name gets drawn for this service and have been complaining a lot about it lately.

So once again, it’s dawned on me just how often I complain and grumble. Anyone listening close by might draw the conclusion that I’m never ever really satisfied with anything in life.

As I was studying my Bible recently, I came across Numbers 11 where the Israelites are complaining about their difficulties on their journey to the Promised Land. As a result, God is not pleased, and it didn’t end well for those who complained.

The Israelites grumbled among themselves instead of taking their problems to the Lord. They didn’t exhibit faith in God’s ability to remove their burdens. They didn’t appreciate that God had already removed a great burden (slavery to the Egyptians) and was leading them to a much better place. They were never really satisfied with what the Lord did provide for them.

Unfortunately, this sometimes sounds all too familiar to me! It made me think about how often my conversations with my husband, sons, family, or friends are about what’s wrong in my life. Sometimes, I complain first to the people around me and don’t ask God first for His help. My complaining certainly doesn’t show much faith. Sometimes, I forget to remember the many blessings I do have. And I certainly don’t appreciate what He has delivered me from or recognize when He is leading me to a better place.

Instead of complaining to others or God, I need to prayerfully ask for His help first and trust Him to see me through any situation. I also need to be thankful for all the blessings I’ve received and be satisfied with the life He’s given me. While there are going to be some small and big hardships along the road, we have the greatest blessings possible. We are loved by Christ and saved by His grace. There are so many things in my life not to complain about.