I Want to Complain! How Acknowledging God’s Touch Can Help

I have to admit: It feels good in the moment. I feel justified. After all, this isn’t what I asked for.

Yet what does complaining accomplish? Does it make things better? Solve the problem? Endear me to more people who will help? Absolutely not.

Complaining doesn’t contribute anything positive. In fact it can do the opposite of what I want.

5 Reasons to Not Complain

Complaining is detrimental in 5 key ways:

Let’s retire our complaining by acknowledging and focusing on the ways God touches our lives.

Let's retire our complaining by acknowledging and focusing on the ways God touches our lives. Share on X

5-Step Plan

Practically, what does this look like? How can we express a need or an issue without slipping into the complaining mode that is ingrained in many of us?

Let’s look at an example from my life. One of the areas I really want to complain about is lack of time. Yet we all have the same amount of time, and we all have more things to do than time to do them, and complaining doesn’t help anyway.

Instead, I need to refocus on the gift of each moment I’ve been given.

So here’s a 5-step plan using my example:

1. Identify what is bugging you: time.
2. Voice the problem: I don’t have enough time to get everything done. Or There’s too few hours in a day for all the tasks I need to complete.
3. Replace the refrain in step 2 that you so badly want to repeat over and over again with a new positive one. Be specific to the problem area. I don’t have enough time to get everything done, but I have the same number of hours as everyone else, and each one is a gift. 
4. Turn that positive statement into a refrain of gratitude. Again, don’t just give a generic thanksgiving; be specific. Thank you, Lord, for entrusting me with these hours, this day, these tasks to make a difference in serving you and my family. 
5. Move forward with this renewed mind and new focus.

This strategy is not a magic fix because our desire for ease and comfort is powerful. When life isn’t either of these, our nature is to revert back to complaining.

However, the more we replace our negative thoughts with positive ones of gratitude, the easier and more natural it becomes. Gradually, our thought patterns will shift to more often focus on the gifts of the moment instead of the difficulties. This is the power of Ann Voskamp’s Joy Dare and counting 1000 gifts each year.

By filling our minds with beauty and treasures and blessings, there’s less room for ugly and useless thoughts to take hold. And noticing and acknowledging the sweet and powerful touch of God in our lives leads to a lifetime habit of joy.

Noticing and acknowledging the sweet and powerful touch of God in our lives leads to a habit of joy. Share on X

Exchanging complaining for joyful praise: now that’s a pretty good bargain.

“Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me—practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you.” Philippians 4:8-9

Reflections: What do you have a propensity to complain about? How can acknowledging the power of God’s touch transform your complaining? 

I’m thrilled to link up with Holley Gerth for Coffee for Your Heart on Wednesday and Suzie Eller for #livefree Thursday and this week’s prompt, “power of touch” I love these special linkups. They provide an abundance of great inspiration and encouragement all in one place. Click on the images below to check them out.