I asked myself that question this morning and I thought I would be able to achieve it, no matter how difficult it may seem. And fortunately, I was right about one thing: it is hard. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to achieve it. Even before work started, complaints started gushing out of my mouth that it was already too late when I realized it. Tsk. No complaining really takes a lot of practice!

It must be an innate thing. Just like when you did something terrible and you run far away from your parents even though they have no idea yet on what you did. You knew you committed something wrong even without people telling you it's a bad thing or people teaching you to do it. You just knew, and you knew you're going to get that end of the stick, or the end of that belt.

But really, complaining is an easy thing to do. Don't you agree? Finding faults in a lot of things is something we humans are very good at doing. I admit I'm one of those people who love criticizing other people's works or other people's abilities. Though there are really some instances wherein it's really bad (honestly), there are still some that sounded more of an insult than a constructive criticism. I'm very guilty of doing that, especially when I'm with friends who have the same personalities and quirks. Oftentimes we make it sound as a joke but in reality, we meant every word of it.

I've been complaining for the past n years of my life and I'm actually starting to get tired, and guilty, of it. When I complain, it's as if I'm indirectly saying to God that I should get the best things in life because I deserve it. Whenever things don't go the way I want it to be, I become bitter and complain. I start ranting how 'life is so unfair' and that I deserve great things in life because I'm good and great.

Yet in reality, I don't really deserve anything. I don't deserve anything good because I've messed up a lot of things in life - like this attitude.

But got one thing right: life really is unfair because if life was fair, I wouldn't be receiving good things in life that I have right now because I'm not really a great or a good person. Yet, more than the good things that came my way, I got a brand new life.

It's called grace. God's undeserved grace given to prideful me simply because He loves me. I shouldn't be blessed yet He is blessing me. I shouldn't be happy yet He always puts this unexplainable joy in my heart everyday.  I should be sickly yet I am healthy. I should be living in the streets yet He gave me a home. I should be rotting in hell yet He saved my soul and I am now alive in Him.

And it's only by grace that God hasn't punished me on my countless complaints about life and work. He always keeps reminding me to trust in Him, remain faithful to Him in everything, carefully obey His commandments, to do everything without complaining and arguing, and obey God with deep reverence and fear. Now part of that obedience is obeying Him when He says 'Stop complaining'.

It's hard. Thankfully, God has a ready to that complaint. He said in Philippians 2:13 (NLT):

"For God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases Him."

Thank God for grace :)