I had to stop and reflect on this one:
Several times this week, I found myself in somewhat of a complaining mode. I verbally complained about something to myself, and I say “to myself” because no one else was around. It was just me thinking out loud about how I was feeling at the moment and there wasn’t a sounding board around to hear my woes, except for me and the Almighty Creator. (And I definitely don’t want Him to have to introduce me to a teachable moment due to my complaining. Such behavior didn’t work so well for the children of Israel while wandering in the wilderness.) Be careful what you speak into the wind. I’m a firm believer of that saying. It can be great when your voice is used for positive utterances and they come to pass . . . not so great when you speak out negativity and it manifests itself.
I’ve come to realize just how powerful our words can truly be. And it surprises me to know how much I’m in tune to the “power of the tongue” yet easily found myself in some momentary lapses of complaining. I figure that complaining can capture many people by surprise and sometimes we’re unaware that we’re even doing it. For me, it was one of those onsets that wasn’t premeditated or worked up, it just kind of happened. And I must admit that, once I was aware I was in that complaining mode, I had to quickly put myself in check, count my many blessings, and remember to be thankful for the life that I’m living.
REAL TALK STRAIGHT AHEAD. If they could, I imagine many people in the grave would tell us (in the living) that things could always be worse and that they’d love to have our problems versus the actual circumstance they’re in. So, I try to remember the following, when going through these temporary bouts of complaining: your worst day could quite possibly be the next person’s best day. A lot of times, your outlook on life depends on the kind of perspective that you keep. And here’s some perspective from a sporadic complainer who wants to nip the complaint bug in the bud: with any situation that you identify as problematic or unfavorable, try to find any positive aspects and build upon them until you can eliminate as many of the negative aspects as possible. And while you’re doing that, your additional call-to-action for the course of your lifetime is to exercise that tongue of yours to give thanks rather than to complain.
NEXT WEEK ⇒ Look for positivity in droves. I’ll be revealing my book cover for book #1 and giving you updated information about the book release. Degrees of Maternity will be back with more content on Monday. Until then . . .
degreesofmaternity.com 