Just Show Me the Baby

"Do everything without complaining and arguing, so that no one can criticize you.  Live clean, innocent lives as children of God, shining like bright lights in a world full of crooked and perverse people."  Philippians 2:14-15

When I was a young employee, I had a wonderful boss named David Varney who, knowing my need for a challenge, relished giving me difficult tasks to complete.

I never failed to complete the tasks assigned, for which Mr. Varney would reward me by saying, “Well done, PJ.”

Yet instead of saying, “Thank you,” which would have been the gracious thing to do, I would begin to recount the difficulties and challenges I faced in accomplishing the task.  Mr. Varney would then say to me, as a loving father would, “PJ, don’t tell me about the labor pains.  Just show me the baby.”

Unfortunately, my kind boss had to say these words to me on more than one occasion.  I still need to hear those words from time to time.

Do you ever complain?

God doesn’t want us to be complainers.

Can you imagine Jesus saying to the disciples, “Do you know how hard it was to feed the five thousand? And, in that heat?”

Certainly not.

May we follow the beautiful and perfect example of Jesus in graciously holding our tongue when we are tempted to complain.