Grumbling

Have you noticed how often we find ourselves grumbling about this or that?  It seems that it is our nature to complain about something.


Archimandrite Seraphim Aleksiev writes,

Grumbling is like the autumn hoarfrost which, when it falls, destroys all the labors of the gardener.  Few people realize how bad grumbling is for the soul.  Almost everyone considers it to a small sin, but even though it seems so, it has very grievous consequences.  In the autumn before the hoarfrost falls, the experienced gardeners notice the signs of the coming cold weather and urge their young helpers to gather the peppers and the tomatoes.  the young ones laugh: "Why should we gather them? the weather is still so nice!"  Then the next morning they see th first frost has come over the gardens.  they pick up a pepper and take a bite to taste it, but it is as bitter as poison and cannot be eaten.  Thus their small carelessness has destroyed all their labors.  In the same way grumbling withers all the virtues of the soul and makes bitter and useless the fruits of suffering.

Why is this so dangerous?  God gives us difficulties and problems to help us come closer to Him.  This is His only aim.  He wants us to be united with Him. But when something is not just how we like it, we grumble instead of giving thanks to God.  You see, we turn away from Him rather than towards Him to seek strength and direction.  This is the danger of all our grumbles. When we grumble we have separated ourselves from God.  When we grumble we are not pleasant to others.  As Alekiev says, "grumbling withers all the virtues of the soul."

Not grumbling, but patience in suffering––this is what God wants from us.  "In your patience possess ye your souls" (Luke 21:19), the Savior has instructed us, because "we must through much tribulation enter into the kingdom of God" (Acts 14:22).  Into this Kingdom of God one cannot enter with pride which teaches us to grumble, but with humility which makes us patient.  There are no greater teachers of patience that sorrows.  This is precisely why God sends us suffering: so that we will humble ourselves before Him.  No one has been saved by pride, because "God resisteth the proud, and giveth grace to the humble" (1 Peter 5:5). The doors of the  Kingdom of Heaven are too low and narrow for the proud to enter through them; only those humbled by the sufferings of life can go through them freely.

I cant tell you how often my wife and I will find ourselves in the car on the way to church grumbling about so many little things.  When we are lucky, one of us catches our plight and says, "Let's thank God."  This always awakens us to our sorrowful state.


A good exercise is to examine your grumbles––just for one day.  Look at what it is you grumble about and reflect on why God set this discomfort in front of you.  See if you can find a way to give thanks to God for all He sends you. How can you draw strength from your relationship with Him. I think you will find this to be  a rewarding exercise.


Remember, God did not promises us that we would not have difficulties.  But He did promise that He would give us help and comfort.

“In the world you have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33)

Ref: The Meaning of Suffering and Strife & Reconciliation, p 35, 39


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Examining Our Use of Free Will

God's greatest gift was free will.  Because of this we can offer love to God and our neighbors.  But this is not how we always use it.  I find myself like Paul, wanting to use it with love only to find myself doing something else.  Like him, I feel at times like I am at war with myself.  It's like I am under the control of some other influence and not able to freely choose that which I desire.


Archimandrite Seraphim Alexsiev wrote the following in his book The Meaning of Suffering and Strife and Reconciliation:

Today we, like Adam, constantly misuse our free will ... This is where all our troubles come from, as well as our inability to be consoled in them.

...God has given us health so that we can serve Him and our neighbors with it, but we abuse this precious gift ... God has given us riches so that we will be useful to the least of His brothers, but we misuse our riches as well.  God has given us abilities in order to praise Him, yet we often bring dishonor to God's holy Name with our abilities; it is sufficient to think of those writers who use their gift to slander God and the saints.  Do not the astounding contemporary achievements of technology represent the same kind of abuse of God's gifts by using them to destroy from the air entire cities and to kill peaceful citizens by the hundreds and thousands, instead of implying these achievements for increasing the well-being of mankind?  We often put in service to satan all the blessings and abilities which we have received from God.  Through them we seek glory and pleasures for ourselves, become proud, and harm our neighbors.

What he says rings true for me.
One of the purposes of Lent is to help us reflect on our own struggle.  Through fasting we can see our difficulty with self-discipline.  Through our participation in more prayer and worship services we test our dedication to God.  Thorough our reading of the gospel and the Holy Fathers we examine and enhance our understanding of His commandments.


Reflect on our collective condition.  Examine your own conscience.  Map out a plan to commit to change.


Pray, Fast, Worship, Read, Simplify, Watch, Put Others First.


Ref; The Meaning of Suffering and Strife and Reconciliation, pgs 31-32


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