Posts Tagged ‘Grumpy’

Don’t be a Grumbler

Posted: May 11, 2026 in Tough Times
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We have all heard the word Grumble before and maybe you even have first-hand experience working or living with a grumbler.

Websters defines Grumbling as: 

To complain or protest about something in a bad-tempered but typically muted way.

For us men; Grumbling is specifically mentioned in the Bible as something Christians need to work hard to avoid. Grumbling is dangerous because it creates unrest. Grumblers are what a former boss I worked for called, “people who punch holes in the boat”. So whether this is a work application, or just a life application, grumbling ruins everything over time. 

In my own past, being fully transparent, I have done a whole lot of grumbling, how about you? What does that say about me? Probably that I write this particular blog because I need to read and apply this one personally more than most of you…because when it comes to grumbling, I have failed before.

I think it is obvious that when the Bible mentions a topic more than once, we should pay attention; and Grumbling is mentioned numerous times. Now, are you surprised that the Bible even talks about grumbling? 

Why would grumbling matter to God? Easy…because as I said in the beginning, grumbling is a dealbreaker or as my wife tells me, “I don’t really want to be around you when you grumble” 

Honestly, I don’t want to be around myself when I do that either…it is miserable.

When I started looking into this topic, I remembered reading about Moses as someone who had to deal with grumblers as he guided the Children of Israel across the desert. During those 40 years, he was constantly battling the grumblers who actually were not grumbling against Moses, they were grumbling against God…Which is really the point of this blog today.

MY grumbling, the Children of Israel’s grumbling, anybody’s grumbling, is truly AGAINST our God. AND, with a HUGE emphasis on this point…it ALSO makes everyone around you unhappy… 

Read what James says about this topic:

Don’t grumble against one another, brothers and sisters, or you will be judged. The Judge is standing at the door!

Or, Paul tells us that very fact in 1 Corin. 10:10 below:

And don’t grumble as some of them did, and were killed by the destroyer. These things happened to them as examples, and they were written for our instruction on whom the ends of the ages have come.

Destroyer? Wait, what? No one mentioned anything about a Destroyer. But actually, that’s not true because, as we just read, Paul informed us HOW big of a deal grumbling is to God…

Grumbling undermines everything that is good. Grumbling basically means, “I don’t trust this plan, or this person, and I need to make sure that everyone around me knows”. “And, I really don’t think that God is capable of saving me or my family”. 

Guys, can you imagine what grumbling does to your children? I can tell you, it fundamentally provides them an example of how to walk away from God and not trust or believe that He will work things out.

Yep…Grumbling does all that and MORE.

Guys, today I urge all of you, myself included, to refocus on Christ and His salvation and start by just being thankful…THEN…Be intentional and work to push being a grumbler aside by focusing on your family and then finally, being thankful for what you have.

Yes, the pattern for removing grumbling is just being thankful. You can’t grumble when you’re thankful…it is a scientific impossibility. OK…honestly, not sure about the science part but I do speak the truth. When you truly focus on the things in your life that you are thankful for (and, trust me you do have something) you won’t feel the need to grumble anymore.

Guys, if you are like me, the world around us sucks and it continues to suck. But for me, even writing this, helps me remember that I have a tremendous amount to be thankful for and even though the future seems scary and I am unsure, we have a God who cares and asks us constantly to reach out to HIM for help.

Guys, I urge you today to take the first step…be thankful for ALL you have and no more grumbling-

Until next time guys-

Postscript: If you are specifically interested in the Destroyer reference I made earlier, here are some scriptures for you to review:

Exodus 12:23

Hebrews 11:28 

2 Kings 19:32-35

The Bitter Pill of Bitter-ness

Posted: January 21, 2013 in Husband, Inspirational
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See to it that no one misses the grace of God and that no bitter root grows up to cause trouble and to defile many. Hebrews 12:15

Have you ever known someone that seemed to be terminally in a “bad” mood all the time? Maybe you have someone like that in your family so that when holidays come, everyone tries to avoid that person because no matter what is said, he or she will lash out? Hollywood glamorized the grumpiness of two old guys when they made the movie “Grumpy Old Men” and we all laughed. But the reality is, grumpiness or bitterness, is an infection that can completely ruin a persons life. Moreover, as some of you may know, bitterness can destroy a community of believers faster than you can imagine. Bitterness is like a virus and left unchecked, can grow and permeate your entire body until you reek of it.

I am sharing this with you because it is very important not only for us, but the person infected to feel the touch and the presence of God before they are lost forever. Yes, I did say forever…Bitterness can and will destroy lives and the Bible is very clear about this.

Make every effort to live in peace with all men and to be holy; without holiness, no one will see the Lord.  Hebrews 12:14

I assure you guys, when you are bitter…you are NOT holy and we can see from the above scripture how important holiness is to God…and to us.

So why do I tell you this now? Sometimes I really don’t have a specific plan in mind, I just find myself reading somewhere in the Bible and then a verse or a concept strikes me. In this instance, when I read the bitterness verse I realized that I have friends just like that and they have no idea how serious their future is jeopardized by NOT taking action to try to make things better. Paul tells us in Ephesians 4:27 to

…Do not give the devil a foothold.

Guys, when you swallow the bitterness and resentment pill you give the devil a foothold in your life…and trust me, once he has a foothold, he will NOT stop there until he has destroyed everything he can. 1 Peter 5:8 says:

Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.

The devil wants to destroy you and there is no other way I can say that or sugar coat it so it sounds better. That, my friends, is a fact.

But remember guys, bitterness doesn’t just affect you…It affects your wife, kids, parents, your coworkers and imgresthe list goes on. As I mentioned before, bitterness is a virus and must be dealt with by getting on your knees and seeking Gods grace and forgiveness. There is NO OTHER WAY… Paul tells us again in Ephesians to:

Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. Ephesians 4:31

I know that getting rid of this issue is easier said, than done but really…you have to get rid of it…Shake it off as you would a bad day. I encourage you to seek God and to then seek help.

If you can read this post and recognize that the person I am referring to is you…then you need to start first on your knees before Him. The Bible says:

Humble thyself in the sight of the Lord and He will lift you up.

If you are suffering from bitterness at present, doesn’t being lifted up sound really good right now? And that is just the beginning. If you allow the Holy Spirit to envelope you, God will melt that bitterness root right out from underneath you.

I challenge you guys today to be men and take the tough first step and recognize you have the bitterness root within you and humbly ask God to take it away.

He will NOT let you down. Of that I am concretely sure…

Until next time guys…