Grumbling to Gratitude

I don’t usually start out my day wondering “Well, let me see, how many things can I grumble about today?” No, I don’t do that. Grumbling can just sneak in like a slow faucet drip. It can be so natural that I don’t even know I’m doing it. Grumbling can be triggered by life’s stuff…. Barking dogs. Slow traffic. Bad food at a restaurant. Cranky family member. Cold weather. Negative co-worker. Chronic pain. COVID fatigue. It’s hard NOT to utter our distinct displeasure with what irritates us.

Here we are halfway through November, the month of gratitude! I have to confess, I haven’t been bubbling over with gratitude lately. How do I change my grumbles to gratitude?

Well, I’ll share a personal experience. My husband, Ben, had a serious bike accident over Labor Day. He’s still not able to walk, but we are hopeful that will happen soon. I’m embarrassed at the ways I’ve grumbled these last months. There are plenty of things to grumble about. However, that doesn’t give me a license to do so.

Just recently, I started thinking about what I was grateful to God for concerning Ben's injury: I’m grateful Ben survived this accident. I’m grateful for the healing that’s happened. I’m grateful it wasn’t worse. I’m grateful for all the friends and families who prayed and cared for us. I'm grateful for more time together. I’m grateful that God is being faithful to meet all our needs. Consider some of the process that I went through to become more grateful:

1. Get aware of your grumbles- I had to be aware that I was grumbling on a regular basis. I was downright frustrated. Angry. Irritated with God for the cards we were dealt. It turned into a negative spirit where I struggled with a quick temper and definitely more stressed than usual.

2. God is good ALL the time- I recalled that God is a loving Father who has good things planned for us. He allows things in our life that we don’t always like, because we live in a fallen world. But, when I embrace that He is always good, loving, sovereign, just, perfect, and faithful, I find hope in that. I can give thanks to God, knowing He is in full control of our situation.

3. Practice cultivating a heart of gratitude. Practice changes everything. There’s about 15 days left in the month of November. Would you consider joining me in asking God to help you stomp out grumbling and add gratitude into your life? Practice from the moment you get up to the moment you go to bed. Be a grateful person. God will be pleased. You will be changed and others will be affected by your grateful heart.

“Do all things without grumbling or disputing; that you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world…” Philippians 2:14-15

Nancy Abbott is the Chaplain of the YMCA of Greater San Antonio.