"Misery-free"

   Some won’t take yes for an answer,

They want to argue so much,

And if you need compassion,

They’re too far out of touch.

   Pushing and pouting every day,

Too miserable to be okay,

The angry words they’ll always say,

All negative and such.

   Better they should close their mouth,

Than spew the things they feel,

Poisonous as they can be,

Language that’s unreal.

   Complaining and whining every day,

Too miserable to be okay,

The angry words they’ll always say,

Blame others, that’s the deal.

   What if God could change their hearts,

And help them start anew,

Cast from them the angry parts,

It’s what the Lord can do.

   Then praising and witnessing every day,

Misery-free, they are okay,

Words of love they always say,

And also what is true.

“Do everything without complaining or arguing…” (Philippians 2:14, NIV)

It is very interesting that Paul would include this bit of counsel to the Philippian church, while writing from a prison cell in Rome. Human nature is prone to be negative, but Paul tells us that this is not how Jesus-followers should behave. Think about it. If you stop complaining and arguing won’t you be different from most, if not all, of the people around you? We are creatures of habit, and it’s all about allowing the Lord to replace the negative with the positive. Living thankfully is what it’s all about.

Lord, help us stop arguing and complaining, in Jesus’ name.

Art by Mark Maggiori, markmaggiori.com. Used by permission. Thanks, Mark, and God bless you.