Philippians 2:14-15,  Do everything without grumbling or arguing, so that you may become blameless and pure, “children of God without fault in a warped and crooked generation.”  Then you will shine among them like stars in the sky.

So often we criticize the Israelites for their complaining when they were in the wilderness and yet if we were there we may have been just as guilty.  For some reason complaining seems to be a human tendency that everyone struggles with at some point but God is calling us to choose a better way.  We always have a choice; join n the complaining or look for something in the situation to thank God for.  As I am writing this my laptop is giving me a “difficult time” to say the least.  It has done this for a while now, I type something and then when I go back and look I have random multiple letters or missing letters everywhere. I have had days when it drove me so crazy I just wanted to throw it out the window but then one day I realized how beneficial it is because it forces me to go back and carefully reread everything.  Getting angry and complaining didn’t fix anything but since I do this first thing in the morning it didn’t give me a very good start to my day either.  If we can take the time to see all that goes on around us as an opportunity to shine without doing it in a pious way then others will be drawn to Him.

Now, this doesn’t mean that you succumb to being like the world in order to not “argue and complain”, this is about looking at your own life and finding ways to look beyond your circumstances and seeing what God is doing in your life.  This is about seeing that wilderness and lack as a time of God stretching and growing you into all that He has created you for.  Your struggles aren’t for nothing!  God is always teaching and growing us into His image and it takes fire to refine Gold.  As you go through the fire or storms of life, choose to keep your focus on Him and praise Him for who He is, and all He has done and is doing in your life!  That is what will make you shine like stars in the sky!  Praise Him in the storm.  Don’t waste time by grumbling and arguing about things.  Trust God!  Ask Him to give you all you need to persevere through the times when it feels like everything around you is shaky.  Cling to Him ~ He will not let you fall ~ He’s got you so just keep putting one foot in front of the other.  He has a plan so make sure you are seeking Him with your whole heart as He works to bring it to pass.  Have faith in the One who loves you with His whole heart!  Don’t look around, look up!  Think of it like you are climbing a really tall ladder and you are terrified of heights, what do they always tell you ~ “Don’t look around or down!  Keep your eyes on the next step and where you are headed ~ UP!”  Keep your eyes fixed on Him and follow His plan without complaining or arguing with Him about how you think things should be by now.  Praise Him for His matchless Love, Mercy, and Grace that has brought you this far!  Trust Him and His timing! Dare to be different for Him!