Day 5 of 31: No More Complaining

I'm guilty.

I am guilty of complaining about trivial things in this amazing house we've been blessed with.

It might be our shower that never stops dripping. Or the weird noise the toilets make after flushing. The size of the pantry. Or the jigsaw puzzle that is our garage.

A funny thing happened when I read Ann Voskamp's book last year: I started thanking God for crazy things. Like laundry. Because isn't it a blessing to have clothes to clean? To have children who can play hard enough to create dirty and smelly clothes? To have a machine that makes this part of my job so much easier than it could be?

But then we moved.

Despite my excitement over this assignment that brought us closer to both of our families and to the place we call "home," I found myself focusing on the nitty gritty frustrations of a rental house instead of practicing gratitude.  Indoor plumbing. Thank you. Food and a place to keep it. Gifts. A place to park two cars and still fit in the trash can and extra fridge. More than we need. Thank you.

Even as I write these words, I can hear the lyrics of this song I sing with my children in my head:

"Do everything without complaining. Do everything without arguing..."

Yikes.

This week, I'm working on having a thankful heart. Because out of the heart, the mouth speaks. Because I desire to be a living example to my children, not just a reminder of rules.  Because I've been given so much.


~This is Day 5. You can find all posts in the series here 31 Days of Making this House our Home.