Why Can't Everything Be Easy?

I've been freshly aware of how quick I am to complain after re-reading one of my all-time favorite JBC articles: "Grumbling-A Look At A 'Little' Sin." I've probably read this article 10 times but it never gets old. In it, Paul David Tripp talks about the Deut. 1:19-35 passage where Israel was complaining against God so grievously that He swore that they would not enter the promised land. That section of scripture alone shows that grumbling is a pretty serious thing.

Here are some things that I find particularly helpful from the article:

"Why do we complain? First of all, we want a life without obstacles. Can you relate to that? We want kids that are self-parenting. We believe that God actually made a mistake in marriage, that sanctification was supposed to be completed before marriage, not after. We want fully glorified people to be in our lives." (pg.48)

"It doesn't take much to spoil our day. For some of us, a flat tire will do it. We want an obstacle-free life." (pg.49)

Um, anyone relate? I know that I do. I really don't like it when something "gets in my way" of what I want from my day. Be it a crying child, a mess I need to clean up, or the inability to find my keys, obstacles aren't something I enjoy. So, why do we have to have any obstacles in this life? What's the point?

"God wants obstacles in your life for some very important reasons. Those obstacles are His primary way of completing His work in you. God is not done with you yet. He is doing something awesome. He's taking us poor sinners and conforming us to the image of His Son." (pg.48)

"But a complaint-based life doesn't want obstacles. It doesn't see the value of obstacles. It wants life to be a resort." (pg. 49)

Yep folks, that's me! I still have days where I think, "Seriously. Why can't things just be like they were in Maui back on our honeymoon? What I wouldn't give to be sitting by the beach, listening to the waves, having Josh all to myself, with awesome food for dinner, able to sleep in late. Is that really too much to ask for?" :) I really want life to be a resort. But, um...wake up call: it's not! I need to start seeing the value of obstacles if I am going to be characterized by gratitude towards God.

More from this helpful article tomorrow (or whenever I actually get to it!).