Instead of Grumbling, Give Thanks

In 1 Thessalonians 5:18 I read, “Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” (NIV)

Fretting and fighting over the small stuff will always cause me to lose my happiness. This is a hard habit to break because I’m negative by nature and conditioned by culture.  All my life, I have been going around excusing and accusing. I excuse myself for the mistakes I make, but accuse everybody else for my mistakes.

I tend to think, “If I just had <fill in the blank>, then I’d be happy.” This “when and then” thinking. But I am as happy as I choose to be! I can’t blame anybody else for my unhappiness because happiness is a choice. I have to stop excusing and accusing; I have to stop fretting and fighting over the small stuff.

The Bible says, “Do everything without grumbling or arguing, so that you may become blameless and pure” (Philippians 2:14-15 NIV).

Those may be some of the most difficult verses in the Bible. But the scariest verse in the Bible to me is Matthew 12:36, where Jesus says, “And I tell you that on the Judgment Day people will be responsible for every careless thing they have said” (NCV).  

This sends shivers up my spine. How many times have I complained, grumbled, or argued about something when I shouldn’t have been sweating the small stuff? The first law of life is this: Don’t sweat the small stuff.  Law number two is this: It’s almost all small stuff!

The Bible says in 1 Thessalonians 5:18, “Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus” (NIV). Gratitude is the healthiest attitude.

What do I have to be thankful for? Remember, no matter what is going on in my life, God is always with me, God is always in me, and God is always for me.  And that’s cause for gratitude, not grumbling.

In summary, fretting and fighting over the small stuff will always cause me to lose my happiness. This is a hard habit to break because I’m negative by nature and conditioned by culture, going around excusing and accusing. I excuse myself for the mistakes I make, but accuse everybody else for my mistakes. I tend to think, “If I just had <fill in the blank>, then I’d be happy.” This “when and then” thinking. But I am as happy as I choose to be! I can’t blame anybody else for my unhappiness because happiness is a choice. I have to stop excusing and accusing; I have to stop fretting and fighting over the small stuff. Scripture reminds me to “Do everything without grumbling or arguing, so that I may become blameless and pure”. These may be the most difficult verses in the Bible. But the scariest verse says, “On the Judgment Day people (I) will be responsible for every careless thing they (I) have said”. How many times have I complained, grumbled, or argued about something when I shouldn’t have been sweating the small stuff? The first law of life is this: Don’t sweat the small stuff.  Law number two is this”It’s almost all small stuff! In today’s scripture I’m reminded to “Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for me”. Gratitude is the healthiest attitude. No matter what is going on, God is always with me, in me, and for me. And that’s cause for gratitude, not grumbling.

Paul wasn't teaching that I should thank God for everything that happens to me, but in everything. Evil does not come from God, so I should not thank him for it. But when evil strikes, I can still be thankful for God's presence and for the good that he will accomplish through distress.