Complain and Remain; Praise and Be Raised

Complain and Remain; Praise and Be Raised
COMPLAIN: to express dissatisfaction or annoyance about something; grumble, criticize, moan, find fault
PRAISE: compliment, commend, express admiration for, applaud, speak highly of, admire, gratitude

Maybe you live with or know someone who seems to be an incessant COMPLAINER – they seem to always find something to complain about: the weather, the president, their next-door neighbor, their body aches and pains, their spouse, their children, their church. I back out of conversations as quickly as possible with those folks. They are certainly not my “besties”. Then there are those who are incessant PRAISERS – they habitually have something to be grateful for, have sunny dispositions and always seem to find the good in everything.

While there are plenty of folks we encounter each day who are filled with optimism, in spite of their negative situations, still there are plenty of “Debbie Downers” around. In case you don’t know who “Debbie Downer” is – she’s someone who frequently adds bad news and negative feelings to any conversation. She can be found everywhere. Her presence puts an abrupt end to the enthusiasm of others. She is critical of herself and others, and fails to see why people can be happy about anything when there is so much to worry about. Debbie Downer isn’t just negative: she is a pessimist to the core. She can see the downside to anything and won’t hesitate to mention it. She plans for the worse and even finds comfort in her negative mindset. Most Debbie Downers believe that they are only being realistic and everyone else is impractical and delusional.

I know there are reasons why we have innate personalities and outlook mindsets. We are products of the environment we were raised in – our homes, schools, family values, our faith. I’m so grateful that I was raised in a church-going, Bible-toting, song-singing and gratitude-lifting home. We were blessed, but not with material wealth. I was raised having a very sick daddy who couldn’t work and my Mama had to bring in the income for our little family of three (older siblings had married and left the nest). I never heard her COMPLAIN about her “lot in life”. She was a PRAISER – not a COMPLAINER. I recall hearing her singing and praying in the midst of our circumstances.

My husband and I were Zig Ziglar junkies which meant we pursued optimism and gratitude – so much so that our little girl at age 6 would correct someone who said “That scared me to death!” She’d say, “No, it scared you to life!” She did get a little annoying to those who didn’t want a 6-year old correcting them, but, no doubt, her message was clear. Debbie Downers and anyone who talks negatively, even casually, and complains about their present circumstances and challenges will determine how long they’ll get to stay right there, and, if they keep it up, they'll even get to go around the same mountain again and again and again! Remember the Israelites being stuck wandering in the wilderness for 40 years -- that should have taken them only 11 days (Deuteronomy 1:2)? They complained....and remained!

Maybe your environment was and is different than mine was and today, you feel like you’re in a desert of defeat, worry and fear. Maybe it feels like you’re getting nowhere fast. We can do something to help change that. Could it possibly be that the stalemate has much to do with negative thinking and speaking. Just maybe you've remained because you’ve complained way more than you praised God for the blessings you do have. Not that I’m suggesting that we be a “Pollyanna” or “Little Mary Sunshine” all the time, but I am suggesting that the more we catch ourselves when we’re complaining, to find ways to be praising instead, the more we’ll be blessed.

I listened to an audio book about an Episcopalian Priest who had a habit of “sighing and moaning” all the time. Rather than speaking negatively, he just moaned and those moans indicated his complaints. To create a better atmosphere of praising instead of complaining, he set up for himself a “Sighing/Moaning” jar. Every time he sighed, he’d have to add a dollar to the jar. I laughed out loud when he was up to $11 in a short period of time. He recognized that even his thoughts were complaining so he did something about it.

Maybe it’s time we do something about it, too! Here’s our options: We COMPLAIN. We remain. We PRAISE. We are raised! When our PRAISES go UP, the blessings come down.
#COMPLAIN...and remain! OR #PRAISE....and be raised!