Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me… —Matthew 11:29

God isn’t giving you heaviness and weightiness because He’s trying to make your life difficult. In fact, it’s quite the opposite. God is giving heavier things for you to carry, heavier burdens, heavier hearts because He is showing His confidence in you to do something about it. Yet, how often do you complain?

Complaining is such a part of your existence that at times, you are not even aware of the complaints: they just sound “good” to you. Things like “I’m not good at this”, or “it’s too hard” or even “why me? aren’t they more qualified?” All of these complaints come as God begins to lay more and more responsibility and trust on you.

However, God is not asking you to bear it alone. He’s asking you to share the load that He’s carrying. God is the strong One here but He is asking you to take up some of the carrying along with Him. He’s inviting you into fellowshipping in His sufferings. He’s inviting you into the cross-life of death to self and resurrected living, which is complaint-free. Never did Jesus complain about the way of the cross or the death His Father “willed” for Him. Yet you complain about the hour of the church service or the amount of time the preacher is taking to magnify your Savior!

All leaders understand that hard times are inevitable. The temptation to compare yourself to others or to compare your success/failure rates, or to even compare fruit and ministry will arise as the complaints germinate within your heart. So it is essential to remember that the One Who has called you is faithful and He will do it (1 Thessalonians 5:24).

You will notice that you complain most when you feel like it’s either all up to you, or you feel slighted that more is not up to you. Either way, it’s about you. Complaining is just that; about you. Why not turn your complaints into praises? Start looking for ways to praise God in the hardships. Begin to sing His praises and use your mouth for magnifying the God who is bigger than any situation instead of magnifying the small problem or issue you are having. Whatever we think or talk about gets bigger because we are paying it the most attention. So start paying more attention to the One who has invited you into learning about Him, walking with Him and less to the “hardship” you are dealing with presently. Is anything too hard for Him?

Oswald Chambers said: “If your life is producing only a whine, instead of the wine, then ruthlessly kick it out.”

Final Thought: When the complaints seem to rise, that’s when it’s time to fall to your knees and give thanks that God has chosen you take on His work.