The Unnoticed Sin
By Corey Campbell
March 3, 2010
I am certain that you have experienced something in your life that has made you feel the need to express a loathsome opinion about it. Whether it was a paper you had to write or a nagging family member that would not get off your case. We have all felt the impulse to complain about hardships in our lives. While the problem is not centralized to the Christian community, as Christians, we are called to care about the things God cares about. If you are a Christian, you understand the magnitude of sin; if you understand the magnitude of sin, you understand the purpose behind fighting sin.
I have titled this lecture “the Unnoticed Sin” not because complaining is something that goes unseen, but because it is a sin that is rarely addressed amongst groups of believers, or anyone for that matter, and so goes “unnoticed.” While it is impossible to rid of all sinful behavior in our lives, it is possible to learn to recognize conviction through grace. It is good for the soul to repent and be conscious of its misdoings because in the process of doing so God is esteemed. We all complain, both non-Christian and Christian alike. It is for this reason that we find it hard to call one another out on it. We are grumbling-beings. However, this was not the Creator’s intention for us. During the course of this lecture I will cover the severity that complaining has in our lives, God’s demand for holiness, and will conclude with several suggestions for living a life of healthy conviction.
There are several things that make this “unnoticed sin” so dangerous. We do not “love” to complain, perhaps, but we do complain a lot. We are fully capable of realizing that we should not say something about someone or something. Even in those instances when we vow to keep our mouths shut, we store that thought up and in the next available moment we say the very thing we promised we would not say. Complaining is contagious. That is, we will hear a complaint from a friend about his or her “awful” day and respond to them with our own calamity that, in turn, sparks a memory of another terrible thing that happened to them and so on. Not only this, but if something ghastly were to happen to us while we were alone, we find ourselves eagerly waiting to announce our complaint to the first person we see: “You will not believe what just happened to me…” Our anxiousness to complain puts into perspective the magnitude of the sin. We complain a lot, and we are really good at it.
We complain in every way we can: over the phone, behind neighbors’ backs, through social networking, texting, and even in prayer. Yes, I said prayer. In fact, we can find ourselves complaining to God more than anyone else. We complain to God a lot and then ask him to fix it as if we deserve it, “Lord, today was the most stressful day. Grant me peace.” Often this is the only time we find ourselves praying. That is, when we have something to complain about. The good thing is that God is humble enough to listen to it all, but that does not make it right and it certainly does not mean he approves. The act of complaining can be best demonstrated by the Israelites. In the book of Numbers, the Israelites are wandering the desert doing as the Lord commands through Moses, and what the Lord commands does not go over well with what they want to happen. Numbers 11:1-2 says:
Now the people complained about their hardships in the hearing of the Lord, and when he heard them his anger was aroused. Then fire from the Lord burned among them and consumed some of the outskirts of the camp. When the people cried out to Moses, he prayed to the Lord and the fire died down.
From that passage, I would say that God is not too keen on complaining. I said earlier that God listens to our complaints. I do not think, however, that the Israelites were laying their complaints before God through prayer and so “he heard them.” More accurately, I would say that they were complaining amongst themselves and God overheard them. I believe this to be true because immediately after Moses “prayed to the Lord” the “fire died down.” The complaining of the Israelites was out of contempt rather than meekness. Complaints to God when based in humility no longer become complaints but prayer. We can be dissatisfied with something and not sin. God wants us to pray to him not complain to him.
So then what is the solution? The solution is practice. The mind has to be taught to not complain. The soul has to be trained in humbleness. The fact is, we are so used to complaining about everything that the concept of not complaining seems unfathomable. It can be surprising to find out how often you actually do something when it is pointed out to you. Have you ever watched Scooby-Doo and listened to how often the characters say a certain word? Shaggy says the word “like” at the start of all his sentences, Velma always says “Jinkies” when she finds herself surprised, Freddie during investigations always suggests that the gang “split up and search for clues” and we all know Scooby-Doo’s trademark. I could be grouped with Shaggy in the fact that I can say the word “like” up to 10 times in the same story. Like, I never even realized this until someone pointed it out to me. When it was directed to my attention I was in awe of how much I actually said the word and even found myself embarrassed. Learning to be conscious of our habit of complaining can be a great step in the right direction. It cannot stop there, however.
Have you ever said something, or heard someone say something, about another and found out soon after that the individual they were talking about was within an ear shot? It is quite possibly one the hardest moments in life to bear. For in that moment we learn how terribly we are treating that person. Our shield of integrity collapses. It is in that moment that we reap the consequences of our grumbling and see ourselves through the eyes of that individual, and it is never a good image we see. Ephesians 4:29 puts into perspective the depravity of our words for “with the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in God’s likeness.” At whatever point we complain or talk poorly about someone it gets directed right back to God. The problem we have with the other person is really a problem we have with God. We must learn to speak in a holy manner, for God calls us to do so. Ephesians 5:4 says that there should be no “obscenity, foolish talk or coarse joking, which are out of place, but rather thanksgiving.” Perhaps a good thing to practice would be to replace your complaint with praise. That is “If you cannot say something nice, say something nice.” It does not necessarily have to be about that person, although it would be great for us to see others the way that God sees them. We can start honoring that person by refraining from our complaint and find the peace by praising God for what is good.
I am sure you have heard it a million times by now but one of the best ways to deal with sin is to be accountable. Recently, my girlfriend and I have agreed to point out to one another when we are complaining. I thought I might get furious every time she pointed out my misdoing, but it has had quite the opposite effect. I find myself immediately convicted by my words and call upon the forgiveness of God. Conviction can be a great driving force toward a better relationship with God. It is in our weakness that we find strength. That strength is God. God wants us to rely on him. God wants to be God in our lives and he certainly deserves that position.
The final suggestion I have for you is to be joyful. Our tendency to complain is sinful because we are commanded to be joyful! C.S. Lewis said, “Joy is the serious business of heaven” and he is right. God created us to be joyful beings. As I can find no better way to say this, here is a passage from Philippians 4 expounding on the importance and urgency of this thought:
Rejoice in the Lord always: and again I say, Rejoice. Let your moderation [or gentleness] be known unto all men. The Lord is at hand… in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things. (Verses 4-8)
Rejoice! No, I do not think you get it. REJOICE! God is our sustenance. Be ever mindful of what he has done for us and what he intended us for.
I would now like to end this lecture in a very cliché way. That is to say, no one has this all figured out nor do I think that anyone will. My hope, however, is that we might become a people who are convicted and who act upon that conviction. To “let God be God” as Martin Luther would say, and to live a life of Joy, not one of Complaint. Now may the God of peace equip you with everything good for doing his will, and may he work in us what is pleasing to him, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen.
