“Your complaints are not against us but against the Lord.” Exo 16:8

Warning: Complaining is hazardous to your health. Despite it not being included among the notorious “seven deadly sins”, the unambiguous teaching of Scripture is: if it is not checked, complaining can kill you.

If you are not convinced, I wish I could direct you to the Levite tribal leader Korah and his entire family for their insights. Tragically, you won’t find them. While griping about Moses’ and Aaron’s misguided leadership was fresh on their lips, “the earth opened its mouth and swallowed them” (Num 16:32).

Paul was clear-eyed about the dangers of verbalizing one’s displeasure or frustration. In 1 Cor 10 he cites three events from the Old Testament that were specifically recorded as dire warnings to us. While the mention of unrestrained acts of sexual perversion and the worship of foreign and false gods is not surprising, his final example seems out of sync. He writes:
“nor complain, as some of them also complained, and were destroyed by the destroyer” (v. 10)

Ouch! Does that seem excessive to you? If your answer is yes, you may be treading in treacherous waters. You are most likely unperturbed by a bit of bellyaching. A few blasts of criticism here or bluster there probably has ceased to prick your conscience. You are so surrounded by it that you no longer realize you may be dancing with the devil.

Beloved, sin typically follows the slippery slope highlighted in Jam 1:14-15. People don’t generally wake up one morning and say, “I think I’ll commit adultery today”. We are drawn, enticed, lured. One tiny compromise leads to another. Standards are lowered so incrementally we don’t take notice. We lose our sensitivity to things that once disturbed us. The wineskin of our hearts hardens and cracks. Unchecked lips give way to becoming a disgruntled person, which germinates into becoming someone who is perpetually offended. Words morph into attitudes which culminate in actions.

The Greek word for complain (gongyzo) also describes a cooing pigeon. Like the mourning dove, it’s a low-volume drip drip of a sound, not a screech. Hence our English word murmur is derived not from a harsh, discordant voice, but a mur-mur, a repetitive and easily disregarded, below-the-surface hum. A common Hebrew word translated complain also means to lodge or remain. In other words, your yammering is hammering stakes like anchors into the soil of pessimism, negativity and a cynical spirit.

When I need a reality check about my words and attitudes I think of Sister Zhu. A single mom jailed with her son Moses for more than 20 years for her faith, she is one of most contented and life-giving people I ever met. The most common phrase upon her lips, blissfully proclaimed in all circumstances good and bad, is etched into my memory. I “see” her shining countenance even now as she raises another: “Thanks God!” She embodies the timeless declaration of David the beloved psalmist when he penned, “I will bless the Lord at all times; His praise [not fussing] shall continually be in my mouth” (Ps 34:1).

In closing, consider Moses’ rebuke directed at the children of Israel’s whining as they faced monotony and uncertainty in the Wilderness. Imagine how shocked they must have been to learn that God, not Moses and Aaron, was the one to whom their criticisms were directed. Beloved, watch what you say, and how you say it! When you are tempted to spew out your list of grievances against work, wife, or weather, turn it around and offer it as praise instead. As the Good News Translation frames this familiar proverb:

“Be careful what you say and protect your life. A careless talker destroyed himself.” Pro 13:3