Okay, my light bulb moment from the other day. I’ve had a complaint about something and I’ve been feeling badly about having it, and then I came upon these words:
“In that day …those who complain will accept instruction.”
- Isaiah 29: 24
* * *
Just for context, here’s the whole passage:
Therefore this is what the LORD, who redeemed Abraham, says to the house of Jacob:
“No longer will Jacob be ashamed;
no longer will their faces grow pale.
When they see among them their children,
the work of my hands,
they will keep my name holy;
they will acknowledge the holiness of the Holy One of Jacob,
and will stand in awe of the God of Israel.
Those who are wayward in spirit will gain understanding;
those who complain will accept instruction.” – Isaiah 29:22-24 (NIV)
* * *
I want to zero in on that last part and not launch into a multi-screen ramble on the whole section (which I am prone to do).
The Book of Isaiah is not for the faint-of-heart. There’s more death, destruction and unhappy occurrences (including people swimming in manure – sorry) than in any other book I know. And yet….hope, renewal and vision are woven throughout, as in the passage above.
To the point:
Whenever I encounter details of a future glorious day, I look for specifics we can get some head-start practice on now. And here’s one of those things: those who complain will accept instruction.
My thought: It’s one thing to have a complaint and another to be a complainer. The latter is to be avoided because it’s a bad character trait. But the former …….it’s not necessarily something to feel bad about, for in a complaint there can be instruction.
If something keeps pushing my buttons, I’m sure the reason is NOT so that I keep carping about it. Is there something I need to see, about the situation or about me? Is there something I need to do?
Some of the best things I’ve felt led to do (or stop doing) in my life came about because I had a complaint that wouldn’t go away on its own, and I prayed about it. The complaint was part of my seeing the divine directional arrow.
An old pastor of ours once said about a curmudgeonly member, “Oh, he always has a burr in his saddle.” Okay, THAT is a complainer. THAT is something I don’t want to be. But I don’t want to discount the value of having a complaint itself.
I think we need to dispel the myth that having a complaint is something to feel bad about, as if there’s a shame attached to it.
In the meantime, I got some direction on my complaint. Love that!
I love the book of Isaiah. And I love this scritpure. Thanks so much for your insight.
curmudgeonly. There’s a word i’ve never heard.
I’ve been known to always have a burr in my saddle.
Thanks for the differentiation. Very helpful! Hopefully this new gratitude journal I’ve started will help.
Besides agreeing with your blog entry, I’d like to say the falling snow on your site is beautiful. At first, I thought my eyes were going bad. : )