No Complaints

How long can you go without making a complaint?

One of the things I love about my church is its emphasis on creating a strong community. One example is life groups, essentially small groups that help each other with the struggle of what it means to be a Christ follower. I am currently part of a group that is studying the book of James. Last night we were working through Chapter 3 which, among other things, is about how easy and dangerous it is to let your mouth run off. So in our group last night we started talking about all the times we end up griping instead of taking any kind of positive action.

It reminded me of this article that I stumbled upon last fall. An attempt to live 21 days complaint free; use a rubberband on your wrist as a reminder and when you stumble, switch wrists and restart the clock. I gave it a whirl. Could not make it past 7 days (and there were probably a couple of times I let one slide) over a two month period. It was an eye opening experience, especially when I realized how often I complain about myself (to myself, of course).

Last night's conversation made me think that I gave up too easily. So I pulled out a new rubberband today and am starting the clock all over again. I will post updates when I have to switch wrists and when I make 21 days. Wish me luck!