Without Grumbling and Arguing

Do everything without grumbling and arguing so that you may be blameless and pure, innocent children of God surrounded by people who are crooked and corrupt. Among these people you shine like stars in the world 16 because you hold on to the word of life. (Philippians 2:14-16a, CEB)

Today was one of those days. My wife uses a power wheelchair. It “lives” in our wheelchair van, and we must protect it from freezing, so we use a small heater inside the van and run a heavy-duty extension cord through a slightly open window to power it. This morning I forgot to remove the extension cord when I tried to leave for work. As I accelerated from the parking space, the cord pulled taut and shattered the window.

Did you know that when automobile glass shatters, it produces more tiny pellets and shards than there are molecules in the known universe?

I spent the entire rest of the day picking bits of glass out of various parts of the car with needle-nose pliers and tweezers. I also missed two work meetings, and it cost me $300 to fix.

You’d better believe I was grumbling. Rather loudly.

When Paul told the Philippians to do everything without grumbling and arguing, he probably mostly had interpersonal relationships in mind. But on reflection, I think he also meant not just getting along with each other, but approaching the difficulties of life with a different attitude. If so, I have a long way to go. Paul points to Jesus in directing the Philippians. “Adopt the attitude that was in Christ Jesus,” he says in verse 5. Jesus never drove a van, but if he had broken out a window, I don’t think he would have talked to himself the way I did to myself. (He probably wouldn’t have been so boneheaded, either, but that’s another story.)

Let’s pray:

Dear Lord, protect me from inattention. And when I fail, help me to accept my own frailties with equanimity worthy of the attitude of humility, love, and service of Jesus. Help me avoid grumbling and arguing, with others and with myself. In Christ’s name, Amen.

This devotional was written and read by Donn King.

Grace for All is a daily devotional podcast produced by the members of the congregation of First United Methodist Church in Maryville, Tennessee. With these devotionals, we want to remind listeners on a daily basis of the love and grace that God extends to all human beings, no matter their location, status, or condition in life.

If you would like to respond to these devotionals in any way, we would enjoy hearing from you. Our email address is: podcasts@1stchurch.org.

First United Methodist Church is a lively, spirit-filled congregation whose goal is to spread the message of love and grace into our community and throughout the world. We are located on the web at https://1stchurch.org/.