Stop Complaining, Start Doing

Teenage girls.  Boy oh boy did my three drive me nuts every once in a while.  Getting them to set the table for dinner, let alone clear the table or do the dishes was torture.  So I created a list rotating between the three tasks.  But when the "clearer" didn't do her job quick enough, the dishwasher wandered off, usually gabbing on the phone with girlfriends.  Then came the complaining from the setter.  She did her job on time so why were the other two able to slack off?  I would then proceed to one of the bedrooms blaring some hip hop song and calmly remind the clearer to get moving so the dishwasher could do her job.  Then by the third reminder, I wasn't so calm.  As soon as a certain tone would come out of my mouth, I'd get the dirty look and the "ok, mom!" irritated growl.  It is a miracle teenage girls, my teenage girls, turned into amazing young women!  I love you my beautiful angels! ;-)

In todays Gospel (Matthew 12:1-8), the Pharisees just couldn't stop complaining:

Jesus was going through a field of grain on the sabbath. His disciples were hungry and began to pick the heads of grain and eat them. When the Pharisees saw this, they said to him, "See, your disciples are doing what is unlawful to do on the sabbath." He said to the them, "Have you not read what David did when he and his companions were hungry, how he went into the house of God and ate the bread of offering, which neither he nor his companions but only the priests could lawfully eat? Or have you not read in the law that on the sabbath the priests serving in the temple violate the sabbath and are innocent? I say to you, something greater than the temple is here. If you knew what this meant, I desire mercy, not sacrifice, you would not have condemned these innocent men. For the Son of Man is Lord of the sabbath."

In Volume One, Jesus asks us to put duty over feelings:

“I want My children to have spiritual discipline. This means you practice your faith regardless of how you feel. There is far too much time spent on feelings today. Duty is more important. My children of the world think that their duties should be suspended if their feelings change. This is not the case, My children. On the contrary, you must complete your duties despite feelings of fatigue, boredom, and restlessness. The enemy uses these feelings to persuade people that they should not serve their loved ones. The world encourages this and does not hold people responsible when they shirk their duties or become lax or lazy. Indeed, even in work My children complain and think they should be given liberty. They begrudge doing their duty in every area of their lives. Only in their personal entertainment do they stop complaining, and that is being taken to excess. Children, this is not the way I intended for you to live. Your duty is holy and in it you will find your path to holiness. When you are unsure about what I want you to do at a given moment, look for your duty. Does it lie with your children, your job, your family, your home, your work? Everyone has a duty and in it you will find the path to your salvation. I want you to have discipline now. Decide, through prayer and conversation with Me, what spiritual practices you need to adopt. Then you must be disciplined about these practices.”

Lay apostles, simple tasks such as washing the dishes or mowing the yard are not exactly entertainment (although I do love to mow my daughter and her husband's yard for the workout!).  But we must strive to complete our tasks on time with love and with no complaints.  Each of us has a duty in life.  Figure out what yours are and ask Christ for a heaping dose of motivation to accomplish them.

Thank you, Lord, for helping me survive teenage girls without pulling out all my hair!  Please help my daughters to respond with love when their children reach that wonderful time in their lives when shirking duties is an every day occurrence. 

God bless,

Bonnie