When we are facing difficulty of some sort, part of us wants everybody to know that we are going threw something. We think that it makes us feel better if we talk about what we are going threw. And while talking about what we are going threw is helpful, we can not let it be the center of every conversation that we have. It is good for us to talk to a friend about what we are going through because we are able to get it out of us instead of holding in all the emotions and concerns. But we can’t let it turn into complaining and it be all that we talk about. When we complain about things we are keeping our problems in the center of our minds and it is all that we will think about. We all have to face some type of issues from time to time, that is just how the world works, but we do not have to be held down by them. Even though we may be facing very difficult times we can still have joy and peace inside to help carry us through the difficulties. 

   I use to let my problems and difficulties consume me and they would be the first thing that I talked about every time that I would talk to someone. I would talk and talk about what I was going threw at the time until I sounded like a broken record. While I was listening to a friend go on and on one day about something that she had going on and how this weren’t right and they were wrong, I heard the Lord say to me, ‘that is exactly how you sound when you are going threw something Mandie.” I realized that I did sound exactly like my friend and that the things that went threw my mind about what she could be doing instead of complaining about everything was what I needed to do myself. I think that it is funny when God works that way. 

   It occurred to me when I was listening to her and reflecting on the emotional turmoil that we both were putting ourselves threw, by the way that we complained about things, that only we could make our situations better. We could have much more peace in the midst of difficulty by not keeping our problems at the center of our conversations. And if we wouldn’t talk about them so much then we wouldn’t think about them as much either.

   I was talking to God about the situation one evening and as I was telling Him that I didn’t know what to do He said that I needed to look at the situation from the outside in so that I could have a full view of the situation and see what it was that I could do about it and then do it. He said that there is always something that we can do in a situation, even if all that we can do is pray about it. He said to trust Him to do the things that I can not do and to work it all out for good. And while He is doing what only He can do He wanted me to put one foot in front of the other focusing on what is in front of me, and do something good for someone else. 

   As I began to do as God had told me to do I began to have more peace inside and I was more joyful even though I was in the midst of troubles. I started to do what I could do in situations and trusting God to do the things that I couldn’t do. Instead of always talking about what was wrong I began to talk about the good that was going on in my life or the good that could come from the situation that I was in. I would keep my focus on the things that were in front of me and when I would start the poor me or why me thoughts I would think of the people in the world that are enduring much worse than what I was and I would thank God that my situation wasn’t that bad. I made a habit of when I was going threw something I would find someone that needed to be encouraged and I would encourage them or help them in anyway that I could. 

I have learned that complaining about something does nothing but bring more misery to the situation. We are not able to keep peace and joy in our hearts when we complain about things. When we complain about stuff it comes from the selfish nature that we are all born with and it keeps our focus on how we are negatively affected by whatever is going on. We can decide to not complain about things and instead praise God for what we do have or the good that is going on and be able to keep joy and peace in our hearts.