{"id":333,"date":"2011-03-29T01:00:05","date_gmt":"2011-03-29T08:00:05","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.doorposts.com\/blog\/?p=333"},"modified":"2011-03-29T15:16:18","modified_gmt":"2011-03-29T22:16:18","slug":"333","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.doorposts.com\/blog\/2011\/03\/29\/333\/","title":{"rendered":"Giving Thanks Instead of Grumbling"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><em>\u201cDo all things without murmurings and disputing\u201d<\/em> (Philippians 2:14).<\/p>\n<p><em>\u201cIn everything give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you\u201d<\/em> (1 Thessalonians 5:18).<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignleft\" src=\"http:\/\/www.doorposts.com\/images\/blog\/complainer.jpg\" alt=\"Grumbling Child\" width=\"240\" height=\"213\" \/>Do you have any complainers in your household? Whining and complaining are evidences of an ungrateful heart. Since God has commanded us to give thanks in <em>everything, <\/em>and to do everything without murmuring, a grumbling spirit is sin and should be recognized as sin when we see it in our children and in ourselves.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Try this exercise for a few days:<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Read Philippians 2:14 and 1 Thessalonians 5:18 with your children. Ask them the following questions:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>What things are we supposed to <strong>do<\/strong> without murmuring and disputing? <em>(All things.)<\/em><\/li>\n<li>What things are we supposed to <strong>give thanks for<\/strong>? <em>(All things.)<\/em><\/li>\n<li>Instead of grumbling about this particular circumstance, do these verses mean that we should give thanks for it instead? <em>(If we\u2019re supposed to do <strong>all <\/strong>things without grumbling, and we\u2019re supposed to give thanks for <strong>all <\/strong>things, the answer to this question is <strong>yes<\/strong>.)<\/em><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Tell your children that whenever you notice them complaining or grumbling, you are going to help them learn to give thanks instead. Remind them that we can grumble with more than just our words. \u201cPoochy lips,\u201d rolled eyes, stomping feet, and other displays of body language are also forms of grumbling.<\/p>\n<p>Ask your children to help you, too. Welcome their questions when they notice you complain. Throughout the day, when you notice each other grumbling, ask these questions, \u201cDoes God want you to do or experience this without grumbling?\u201d (The answer will be <strong>yes<\/strong>, because we are to do <strong>all <\/strong>things without grumbling.) Recite Philippians 2:14 together.<\/p>\n<p>Then ask, \u201cWhat does God want you to do instead of grumbling about this?\u201d Recite 1 Thessalonians 5:18 together. Then encourage your child (or yourself) to give thanks. This can be a short prayer together, or a simple, spontaneous prayer such as, \u201cThank you, God, for this chore that will help me learn to serve others better.\u201d Say a prayer, with your child repeating the words after you, if he is young and needs help.<\/p>\n<p>A child may need some coaching or suggestions to help him see what he can be thankful for different situations. Help him think about:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>The <strong>things he can learn<\/strong> from the situation (patience, humility, kindness, service, etc.).<\/li>\n<li>The <strong>blessings he is overlooking<\/strong> (i.e., when complaining about food, he can be thankful for his Mama who made the meal, for his Daddy who worked to earn money to buy the food, and for God who takes care of him and provides for him).<\/li>\n<li>The <strong>people<\/strong> who make his life so much richer (i.e., the daddy who loves him enough to teach him to work hard, the siblings who are such good friends to him).<\/li>\n<li>His <strong>heavenly Father <\/strong>who loves him so much that He is giving him this chance to grow and become more like His Son.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>After he has thanked God, encourage him to go back to the situation and continue with a cheerful heart. If you hear him grumble again, repeat the process of questioning him and praying words of thanksgiving with him. Continue this process throughout the day.<\/p>\n<p>Remember that your goal is to help your child become more like Jesus. It is tempting to give in to our own grumbling attitude when dealing with complainers. Focus on thankfulness. Help your child grow in gratitude, and give God thanks for this child and each opportunity He is giving you to train him in godliness.<\/p>\n<p>Review your day together before bedtime. What did you learn about yourselves? What are your children most tempted to complain about? Are you setting an example of thankfulness for your children, or do they hear you complaining about the people and events God brings into your day? Pray together for God\u2019s grace to be even more thankful tomorrow!<\/p>\n<div class=\"rtsocial-container rtsocial-container-align-left rtsocial-icon\"><div class=\"rtsocial-fb-icon \"> <div class=\"rtsocial-fb-icon-button\"><a title=\"Share: Giving Thanks Instead of Grumbling\" class=\"rtsocial-fb-icon-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.doorposts.com%2Fblog%2F2011%2F03%2F29%2F333%2F\" target= \"_blank\"><\/a><\/div><\/div><div class=\"rtsocial-twitter-icon\"> <div class=\"rtsocial-twitter-icon-button\"><a title=\"Tweet: Giving Thanks Instead of Grumbling\" class=\"rtsocial-twitter-icon-link\" href= \"https:\/\/twitter.com\/share?text=Giving%20Thanks%20Instead%20of%20Grumbling&via=@doorposts&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.doorposts.com%2Fblog%2F2011%2F03%2F29%2F333%2F\" target= \"_blank\"><\/a><\/div><\/div><div class=\"rtsocial-pinterest-icon\"> <div class=\"rtsocial-pinterest-icon-button\"><a class=\"rtsocial-pinterest-icon-link\" href= \"https:\/\/pinterest.com\/pin\/create\/button\/?url=https:\/\/www.doorposts.com\/blog\/2011\/03\/29\/333\/&media=https:\/\/www.doorposts.com\/blog\/wp-content\/plugins\/rtsocial\/images\/default-pinterest.png&description=Giving Thanks Instead of Grumbling\" target= \"_blank\" title=\"Pin: Giving Thanks Instead of Grumbling\"><\/a><\/div><\/div><a rel=\"nofollow\" class=\"perma-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.doorposts.com\/blog\/2011\/03\/29\/333\/\" title=\"Giving Thanks Instead of Grumbling\"><\/a><input type=\"hidden\" name=\"rts_id\" class=\"rts_id\" value=\"333\" \/><input type=\"hidden\" id=\"rts_media_nonce\" name=\"rts_media_nonce\" value=\"20e4b54b8c\" \/><input type=\"hidden\" name=\"_wp_http_referer\" value=\"\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/333\" \/><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>\u201cDo all things without murmurings and disputing\u201d (Philippians 2:14). \u201cIn everything give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you\u201d (1 Thessalonians 5:18). Do you have any complainers in your household? Whining and complaining are evidences of an ungrateful heart. Since God has commanded us to give thanks in everything, and to do everything without murmuring, a grumbling spirit is sin and should be recognized [&hellip;]<\/p>\n<div class=\"rtsocial-container rtsocial-container-align-left rtsocial-icon\"><div class=\"rtsocial-fb-icon \"> <div class=\"rtsocial-fb-icon-button\"><a title=\"Share: Giving Thanks Instead of Grumbling\" class=\"rtsocial-fb-icon-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.doorposts.com%2Fblog%2F2011%2F03%2F29%2F333%2F\" target= \"_blank\"><\/a><\/div><\/div><div class=\"rtsocial-twitter-icon\"> <div class=\"rtsocial-twitter-icon-button\"><a title=\"Tweet: Giving Thanks Instead of Grumbling\" class=\"rtsocial-twitter-icon-link\" href= \"https:\/\/twitter.com\/share?text=Giving%20Thanks%20Instead%20of%20Grumbling&via=@doorposts&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.doorposts.com%2Fblog%2F2011%2F03%2F29%2F333%2F\" target= \"_blank\"><\/a><\/div><\/div><div class=\"rtsocial-pinterest-icon\"> <div class=\"rtsocial-pinterest-icon-button\"><a class=\"rtsocial-pinterest-icon-link\" href= \"https:\/\/pinterest.com\/pin\/create\/button\/?url=https:\/\/www.doorposts.com\/blog\/2011\/03\/29\/333\/&media=https:\/\/www.doorposts.com\/blog\/wp-content\/plugins\/rtsocial\/images\/default-pinterest.png&description=Giving Thanks Instead of Grumbling\" target= \"_blank\" title=\"Pin: Giving Thanks Instead of Grumbling\"><\/a><\/div><\/div><a rel=\"nofollow\" class=\"perma-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.doorposts.com\/blog\/2011\/03\/29\/333\/\" title=\"Giving Thanks Instead of Grumbling\"><\/a><input type=\"hidden\" name=\"rts_id\" class=\"rts_id\" value=\"333\" \/><input type=\"hidden\" id=\"rts_media_nonce\" name=\"rts_media_nonce\" value=\"20e4b54b8c\" \/><input type=\"hidden\" name=\"_wp_http_referer\" value=\"\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/333\" \/><\/div><a role=\"link\" class=\"rtp-readmore\" title=\"Read more on Giving Thanks Instead of Grumbling\" href=\"https:\/\/www.doorposts.com\/blog\/2011\/03\/29\/333\/\" rel=\"nofollow\">Read More \u2192<\/a>","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[27,16],"tags":[34,35,36],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.doorposts.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/333"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.doorposts.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.doorposts.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.doorposts.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.doorposts.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=333"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/www.doorposts.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/333\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":339,"href":"https:\/\/www.doorposts.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/333\/revisions\/339"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.doorposts.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=333"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.doorposts.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=333"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.doorposts.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=333"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}