"They're like spoiled children complaining to their parents, 'We wanted
to skip rope and you were always too tired; we wanted to talk but you
were always too busy.' John the Baptizer came fasting and you called him
crazy. The Son of Man came feasting and you called him a lush. Opinion
polls don't count for much, do they? The proof of the pudding is in the
eating." (Luke 7:32-35,MSG)
After a tough, long and cold winter,
Spring was finally starting to show signs of arriving. Then we had a day
where the temperatures spiked to 32 degrees Celsius (90 degrees
Fahrenheit). Interestingly enough, most people I encountered were not
thankful for this turn in events. Instead they complained that it was
too hot!
A janitor was quick to remind them: "Remember last
winter? Remember the cold? Do we have any reason to complain?"
And sure enough, the temperatures dropped back to the low teens by the
next day.
No matter where I have travelled, I have always
encountered all kinds of complaints. It seems to me that whenever we
cannot be completely in control of things, be it the weather, the
temperature, or changes of events, we cannot help but complain. So often
we forget what is most important in life. If we only could focus on
that, the highs and lows of events would leave us unfazed.
"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, in which you shine like stars in the universe."
(Philippians 2:14-15, NIV)
In the town of Saro, Sweden, something
really strange happened. An elk was attracted to an apple tree. Those
apples sure looked delicious, and he decided to eat them. He didn't know
that the apples were fermented, and it wasn't long before the elk was in
a drunken state. Soon he was so drunk that he found himself stuck in the
apple tree. The more he fought against the tree, the more stuck he
became. Even though he kicked wildly to free himself, he remained stuck.
I can imagine what he must have been thinking: "First these humans
made these apples taste weird, and now their trees are built in a shape
that would tangle any elk! How dare they!"
But then, adversity is
always an opportunity to make a difference in someone's life, even if it
is an elk. The "evil" humans came to his rescue, avoiding at all cost
the flailing hooves of that huge, drunken beast. Their only option was
to bend the tree so that the animal could slide safely to the ground.
Instead of complaining, may we always look out for opportunities to
shine in the name of our loving Father, ever seeking ways to make a
difference in people's lives. After all, if someone is complaining,
isn't it because that person is truly unhappy? Imagine the impact we
could have to brighten that person's day!
"Use your heads as you
live and work among outsiders. Don't miss a trick. Make the most of
every opportunity." (Colossians 4:5, MSG)
Who ate from my apple
tree? And why is it so crooked?
Rob Chaffart
Written on May 19, 2014
