Grumbling or Gratitude

One of my favorite musicals is Fiddler on the Roof. It was recently on an old movie channel and I watched with this scripture passage in mind. When Tevye says “I know, I know. We are your chosen people. But, once in a while, can't You choose someone else?” Oh how that resonates with me! That feeling of knowing I am loved by God, but if being loved by God means facing more tribulations, I find myself echoing Tevye’s sentiment. 

I’ll always remember the moment when my best friend, after months of hearing me grumble about my divorce, said to me: “Are you ready to be happy? You will be exactly as happy as you decide to be.” In that moment I knew it was time to start choosing to act as if I was already happy and incorporate a gratitude practice. This scripture passage brings me back to that occasion. I can certainly understand the Israelites complaining to God and Moses about leaving Egypt to die in the wilderness. I have come to learn that grumbling is passive and it affects the way we see reality. When we grumble we aren’t seeing things clearly. Practicing gratitude, even in those moments when you don’t feel grateful, opens us up to God’s graces and healing. 

I have definitely been guilty of having my “patience worn” as the Israelites expressed to God and Moses. I have grumbled to God more times than I care to admit about a circumstance and thrown myself a pity party. Nothing good came from my grumblings. It may have satisfied me in the moment, but in the end, it kept me in a limbo. God may not take away the pain but will provide a mode to healing. Learning to see my life with eyes of gratitude has been a process of unlearning old habits and embracing new ones. 

My first reaction to my friend’s statement was not “gee, thanks”. It did not immediately set me on the road to acting happier. What it did do was start the process of my considering that happiness is something I can create, rather than expect it to happen. Ever since that comment from my friend, I have worked to consistently cultivate an attitude of happiness. My complaining put the focus on me and I was missing out on the graces God wanted to show me in my circumstance. 

Fiddler on the Roof has always been a musical that demonstrated to me the value of choosing happiness, even when you are facing dark times. I may not be facing eviction from my village as Tevye. I may not be leaving my homeland as the Israelites in this passage. Yet, I have faced major life changes and grumbled a bit in the midst, but in the end I have learned to choose gratitude and trust God’s grace during all life’s challenges. 

Author: Stephanie Nelson, Advancement