Complaining

There is nothing quite like springtime in the Bluff.  Cars and houses covered in yellowish-green pollen.  Sand gnats, “nipping at your nose.”  And let’s not forget the winds that can almost knock a full-grown man down, not to mention tearing shingles off of the roof.

            Will you just listen to that?  In one short paragraph I have griped and moaned about the sights of the season, when indeed, if I would simply open my eyes and my mind, I would see the beauty of the world around me.

            First there are the azaleas.  So many other flowers are also in bloom. Trees are filled with buds. My cardinal couple spends much of its day at my birdfeeders.  And I saw my first hummingbird of the year this past weekend. For the first time in my life I put out a feeder for those magnificent creatures.  And sure enough, God rewarded my efforts.

            Why is it that we are so quick to see the bad rather than the good? When the Hebrew children were in the wilderness, having escaped the slavery in Egypt, they whined to Moses that they had better living conditions and food in Egypt than where they were. Never mind they were on their way to the Promised Land!

            Lest we judge these folks, we are prone to the same malady.  How many times have I complained about the pollen and gnats, and missed the flowers and the birds!?!  God forgive me. 

            And then, may God give us the grace to see the many blessings He has given to us all. Let us be thankful…joyful even, over the goodness of God. As the old gospel song says, “Count your many blessings, see what God has done!”