Yesterday I was sitting in the church sanctuary, surrounded by thousands of people, when the woman praying invited us to open our hearts to a way we could grow closer to God. Immediately I thought, "I know it isn't Lent, but I feel like I should fast from complaining."
Somewhere along the way complaint has become a habit of mine, and a bad one. Not out of the intent to be malicious, but more to be funny.
Not a minute had passed since I'd prayed this "breath prayer" (you know, a short prayer, one that can be said with one breath and should really be as natural a form of conversation with God as breathing), when the man next to me signaled for my attention.
The worship center was already packed when I had arrived, the lights dimmed while the band played and everyone was on their feet, so an usher picked a random seat for me. There appeared to be two seats available, but the man in the third seat told me his group was saving the second seat for a friend. It was just me because Randy had to work, so I took the aisle seat. But then when his friend arrived, he let her sit in the third seat and he took the seat next to me. We stood side by side for about 10 minutes of singing before the praying woman asked us to sit down and invited us to think about how we could be closer to God.
So, after I've said to myself I should complain less, this guy says to me, "I'm really glad I sat next to you. You have a beautiful voice and I like to hear you sing."
Wow! It was like God tapping me on the shoulder and saying "doesn't a compliment serve you better than a complaint!"
Of course my second thought was to comment about how many people in the room couldn't sing and should be told that just because the music is loud doesn't mean they should sing along, but I held my tongue. Progress!
Then Lincoln Brewster gets up and gives this awesome sermon about how we need to get a new mindset:
Those who live according to the flesh have their MINDS SET on what the flesh desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their MINDS SET on what the Spirit desires. (Romans 8:5)He said our thoughts lead to actions, which lead to habits, which lead to a lifestyle, which ultimately leads to our destiny.
Do I want a destiny filled with complaining? Or one filled with compliments?
Habits are hard to break, but we can break them. First, I can keep my mouth shut when I think of something to complain about. Then, I can begin to replace those complaints with compliments. And pretty soon, compliments will be my default thoughts instead of complaints, which will reap a much more positive life and destiny for me!
Don't you just love it when God works everything together like that to confirm that you are headed in the right direction?
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