Lent 36: I Have a Complaint...

My pastor has this saying that I love (I don't know if he coined it, or if he borrowed this from someone else): "it's much easier to ACT like a Christian than it is to REACT like a Christian." It sounds like one of those buzzy one liners. But it's really quite true. 

I have trouble reacting like a Christian all the time. I often ask for prayer about this issue: "I don't feel like my light is shining at work, so please pray for to get my attitude together." If something I don't like goes down at work--instant attitude.

I previously noted that during this 40 days of Lent, I've found that the prayer challenge book I'm reading (and the resultant prayers) seem coincidentally (or divinely) linked to the readings I've had to do for this 40 days of blogs. This morning, I prayed:

Lord, help me to turn my complaints into prayers. Complaining does nothing. But prayer can change everything. So, all of today has been an experiment in this. And it has shown me a few things:

• I have a ton of complaints
• It felt more productive to pray about them than go on a rant in my mind
• I was less angry

So, I was shocked when I realized this was (in some way) connected to today's reading:

This you know, my beloved brethren. But everyone must be quick to hear, slow to speak and slow to anger; for the anger of man does not achieve the righteousness of God. Therefore, putting aside all filthiness and all that remains of wickedness, in humility receive the word implanted, which is able to save your souls. But prove yourselves doers of the word, and not merely hearers who delude themselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks at his natural face in a mirror; for once he has looked at himself and gone away, he has immediately forgotten what kind of person he was. But one who looks intently at the perfect law, the law of liberty, and abides by it, not having become a forgetful hearer but an effectual doer, this man will be blessed in what he does. If anyone thinks himself to be religious, and yet does not bridle his tongue but deceives his own heart, this man’s religion is worthless. Pure and undefiled religion in the sight of our God and Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself unstained by the world.

 - James 1:19-27

This one is long. And all of it is pertinent information, but I guess I'll just focus on the beginning, where we are given three rules to live by: 

1. Be quick to hear
2. Slow to speak
3. Slow to anger

Because I've historically read the Bible piecemeal, I had my own idea about what this scripture meant. It meant: when engaging in communication with other people, be a good listener. Hear them out. Be slow to speak, because a thoughtless/careless word could be damaging. And finally, be slow to anger. Words and actions done in the heat of anger can be detrimental to healthy relationships.

All of that is true, but none of that is what this scripture is about. Why I didn't realize this is beyond me. This scripture is just the continuation of yesterdays scripture about temptation. And so what this scripture is actually saying is pretty convicting.

WHEN your temptation and it's accompany trial/tribulation comes:

1. Be quick to hear - To hear what? The word of God. Godly counsel. Sound advice. You are in a situation, in which the temptation and the trial may seem the loudest. But God is talking. We need to be quick to hear what He is saying.
2. Slow to speak - Shut up that complaining. This one really got me. No one can bellyache through a trial like I can. I blame God for various things (which yesterday we noted that God is not to blame). I say a lot of faith-less things while I'm going through. I generally say a LOT, and I'm quick to say it. I remember two years ago, I was "Esau" which was my way of declaring that God hated me. Now that seems so dumb, but that was me being slow to hear, and quick to speak.
3. Slow to anger - Stop being so mad and go through. This is a doozie right here. I'm busy being mad that I'm forgetting the buzzy one liners I heard at service. Temptations and trials come to make us better not bitter. Yet, I have been very bitter at times. Very mad.

To what end? Anger does not accomplish the righteousness of God. Which means that is the lesson we should learn. The refining that is happening in the fire of trial/temptation is not accomplished in our anger. But it's accomplished in our humility. We have to stop being just hearers of the words, and be doers of it all. It's easy to ACT like a Christian. It's easy to read the words in the Bible and pray some prayers, but let our temptation come. Let our trial come by. And suddenly we're behaving like unbelievers. OR, this is where you shine. We all know the people who go through trials/tests like CHAMPS. Like, this person puts you to both public and private shame. But everyone is not at the same level. I'm definitely not there. I complain.

But our angry complaints don't accomplish the righteousness of God. But our prayers do. Prayers include confession, which can put away all filthiness and what remains of wickedness. And nothing says humility like getting on your knees (though you don't have to pray on your knees). But prayer is a humble act.


Turn angry complaints into humble prayers.

...at least, that's what I'm going to try to do.