Complaint free week
This morning I was led to The Striving Wife website, and Heather's challenge to spend an entire week complaint free. I decided that I'm up for the challenge!
Your Challenge: A Complaint-Free Week!
Heather Marshall on April 19th, 2009
Are you up for a good challenge? Depending on your personality, or even what’s going on in your life at the time, this challenge may or may not be EXTREMELY difficult!
Your challenge is, for a WHOLE WEEK, to not complain. No complaining about your husband, your kids, your co-workers, your boss. No complaining about your messy house, dirty dishes, never-ending laundry, or shoes that are left in the middle of the floor for you to trip on. No complaining about your job, workload, lack of extra money, or need for a vacation. No complaining about headaches, vomiting children, tiredness, or your desire for sanity in the midst of chaos.
For one whole week, no complaining allowed! At all! No excuses!
So, what’s the catch? Why are we doing this? Well, I got inspired by Sheila Gregoire’s blog post & challenge to other women to participate in the Complaint Free Week.
I began to think about how negative I can be (and I know I’m not alone, right ladies?). It’s so easy to complain about just about everything! I complain when I’m hungry (which is ALL the time now that I’m trying to eat for two!), when I have a headache (it’s allergy season!), when I’m tired (again, ALL the time thanks to baby), when I have to do the laundry, or when I have to do anything I don’t feel like doing at the moment.
I’m sure my husband would rather hear me say pleasant and uplifting things rather than negative and pessimistic things all the time. For the sake of our husbands, to be a better example to our children and co-workers… let’s give up complaining this week!
Wondering what to do instead? Well… let’s look at what the Bible says we should do! Philippians 4:8 says…
Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable-if anything is excellent or praiseworthy-think about such things.
Let’s take it a step further, and not just THINK about such things… but let’s SPEAK such things!
Another word of wisdom from the Bible can be found in Ephesians 4:29…
Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.
Are you ready to take the challenge? Are you ready to speak only words that will build up & edify rather than words of complaint? Leave a comment & let me know that I won’t be alone this week!
Keep on Striving,
Heather
PS - I know that this challenge can (& will) be difficult… but it will be so worth it! Meditate on & memorize these verses so that when you feel the urge to complain, you have Scripture to recite instead.
PPS - This challenge is running from Sunday April 19 to next Saturday April 25, according to Sheila’s blog. HOWEVER… if you don’t read this until midweek or next week or next year, don’t feel like you’ve “missed it.” Just start NOW, & for 1 week commit to not complaining.
Make sure to let me know how you did!!!!!!!!!!!