As I mentioned earlier this week, the Bible verse we’ve been working on this week is “Do everything without complaining or arguing.” – Philippians 2:14 This is not an easy verse for anyone to master, let alone a 3 year old!

Today I brought the kids upstairs to get ready for nap/rest time, and we had our normal drill: “AG, you go potty while I change LB’s diaper and put him down for his nap.” Same instruction every day. For some reason, there are certain days when this just does not please my little princess! We have had huge meltdowns and “incidents” over going to the bathroom. Sometimes she just doesn’t feel like it.

Today I saw her think about pushing this again. As soon as I started the “you go potty” sentence, she started to say, “but I don’t need…” I turned and looked at her and said, “Remember, AG: no complaining or arguing.” To my shock and delight, she considered this and then promptly turned to obey! HALLELUJAH! Seriously, what a huge victory for my girl to hear, think, and choose to obey.

Back when we were going through Numbers I discussed complaining in the Cancer of Complaint. (If you haven’t read that post, it’s one of my favorite personal applications from the Pentateuch!) Permit me to quote a few paragraphs from that post here:

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I think that we often dismiss complaining as a “less serious” sin, or perhaps not a sin at all. Everybody complains – about the weather, about your headache, about your husband/ wife, about your pastor, about your kids, about your car, blah, blah, blah.

Think about this: If I truly believe that my God is sovereign, if I truly believe that absolutely nothing is out of His control… my complaints about the big AND small issues of life are tiny symptoms of a deadly cancer: lack of submission to the sovereign will of my Creator, Savior, and Lord. “God, I know that you order all things, but I think you’re doing a lousy job with the weather/ my health/ my family/ my finances/ etc.” And as I begin to adopt complaining as a pattern of life, I am living in constant rebellion to my God, whether it seems that bad or not. I am daily trading my soul, the cancer is spreading, and I am setting myself up for outright, blatant sin and disobedience.

The beginning of Philippians 2 is full of theology about our Lord Jesus. Paul’s one practical application point in this powerful chapter is found in 2:14-15 – Do all things without complaining and disputing, that you may become blameless and harmless, children of God without fault in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation…

Complaining IS a big deal.
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I was thinking about our small victory in the bathroom and was once again reminded of the idea of parenting as discipleship. I often tell AG after she’s been disciplined for something, “AG, I don’t like it when you’re in trouble. But, I love you – I want you to learn to obey Mom and Dad. When you learn to obey Mom and Dad…” (I have started leaving this sentence hanging and she completes it with what I frequently tell her,) “I’m learning how to obey God.”

Complaining is a symptom of a rebellious heart. This is true in my own life as well as in the lives of my children. My deepest prayer is that my children will surrender themselves to the Lord – fully and completely – and that their true love for and trust in Him would reveal itself in obedience. Obviously only the Holy Spirit can transform them from inside out, but godly parents have so much influence over how their children perceive authority, submission, love, etc.

Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed—not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence—continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose.
Do everything without complaining or arguing, so that you may become blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a crooked and depraved generation…
Philippians 2:12-15