One of our little girls has always been very picky. She doesn't even like lollies! But lately she has been more fussy than ever. The other night we sat down for dinner and all three of our older children didn't want to eat their dinner. I felt rather fed up. When all you get for your efforts to put a meal on the table is complaints, it's enough to get you down. Especially when it happens regularly and you do know how to cook! So I was feeling pretty frustrated and thinking that we needed to do something about their complaining. I thought, 'I know how God felt when all the Israelites did was complain at what He had provided for them.'
My mum told me once that our children are just like us. So I started to think about whether I have the same complaining spirit sometimes. I realized I am often just as guilty.
My children don't always like what I put on their plate, but I expect them to eat it without complaint. They don't have to like it but they have to eat it. If they chose all their own food, they wouldn't be very healthy. I give them what is good for them, but they often don't like the healthy food.
And so I don't always like what God puts on my plate. I don't like having sick children, being in hospital, being woken up in the night, etc. If I had the choice, I would choose a nice pleasant life that is trouble free! But that's not good for me. And God expects me to have a thankful heart in spite of the things I don't like.
Sometimes I feel like there is too much on my plate. But God knows better than me. (Although sometimes I put unnecessary things on there that God doesn't expect me to do).
Do you have a thankful heart?
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