No Complaining Allowed!

What if I could give you a sure-fire way to be a happier person?  What if this miracle advice would make those you live with, work with, and interact with on a daily basis happier, too?  Would you do it?

This isn’t a joke or a scam.  I have the secret.  Wanna know what it is?

Do all things without grumbling or complaining.

Actually, if you know your Bible, you know that this nugget of truth didn’t originate with me, but with apostle Paul in his letter to the Philippians.

Last week at my home church Bible study we discussed this verse.  But we did more than discuss it–a couple of hundred women actually put it into practice. We committed to spend one week without complaining.  As a reminder, each of us placed a purple bracelet on our wrist and pledged to change the bracelet from wrist to wrist every time we complained.

I’m happy to report that my bracelet stayed on the same wrist for the entire week.  I’m even happier to report that this morning my husband came downstairs and remarked that he has LOVED the gal with the purple bracelet.  In fact, his exact comment was: “Can I give you a compliment?  Ever since you’ve been wearing that thing you have been incredibly loving and kind”.  I have to admit that at first I thought the “wearing that thing” part was a reference to my robe.

But nope, it was the purple “no complaining” bracelet. That ugly thing has been the best fashion accessory I’ve worn in a long time.  A woman who doesn’t grumble or complain is a heck of a lot more beautiful than a woman who does.  

Of course I had some near slip ups.

Like the evening I found his underwear on the floor 12 inches from the hamper.  When I waltzed into the bathroom with his underwear in my hand (is this TMI???) he smiled a broad grin and joked that he would hate to see me have to change the bracelet to my other wrist.  We both laughed and the bracelet stayed put.

Or last night when he finally came to bed at nearly 1am, clanging the bedroom door, pulling off my comfy blanket when I had it “just so”, and clearing his allergy ridden throat about a billion times. 

That one almost got me.  Instead I rolled over, looked him in the eye and said drying, “Are you kidding me?” The throat clearing thing stopped immediately. 

All in all, it was a great week. A wonderful week, in fact.  Not so much because the week was perfect, but more so because–for this week at least–I obeyed God’s command.

With a little help from a fabulous purple bracelet.

“Do all things without grumbling or complaining.”

 Philippians 2:14