She was an incurable grumble. Nothing pleased her. But one day her neighbor heard of her excellent apple crop and figured at last he had found one thing she couldn't complain about. "Well," he said, "I know you're happy. I've heard a lot about that apple crop." The old woman glared at him as she replied, "Oh, I guess they'll do, but where's the rotten ones for the pigs?"

You are probably thinking no one could be that bad, but I'm not so sure. I've met one or two who very easily could be the guilty grumbler. As I have noted before, these are the folks who feel bad when they feel good for fear that they will feel worse when they feel better. For them nothing is quite right, and they want the whole word to know it. They are so focused on the one thing they perceive to be wrong that they never see all the right things. How do you suppose God feels about grumblers?

Did you know that exactly one month after leaving Egypt the Israelites were grumbling that they would have been better off if they had remained Egyptian slaves (Exodus 16:2-3)? It was in response to their complaints that God gave them manna to satisfy their hunger. On another occasion, now tired of the manna, they complained,

"We remember the fish, which we did eat in Egypt freely; the cucumbers, and the melons, and the leeks and the onions, and the garlic: but now our soul is dried away: there is nothing at all, besides this manna, before our eyes" (Numbers 11:5-6).

How does God feel about such grumbling? Let the Bible answer that question. "And when the people complained, it displeased the Lord: and the Lord heard it; and his anger was kindled; and the fire of the Lord burnt among them, and consumed them that were in the uttermost parts of the camp" (Numbers 11:1). God doesn't take kindly to grumbling! It's a lesson we need.

Stop complaining and count your blessings. You may be surprised by what you discover. Why not start right now? Thank God for his love. Thank him for the gift of his Son. Rejoice in the hope we have through him. And, stop grumbling!