Complaining Spirit

I consider myself a sympathetic person, I am a good listener who cares about the pain and struggles of those around me and realize that , in many cases, most people just need to talk things through with someone to help them see past the clouds of emotions and get to the heart of the matter. Truth is I need this from time to time, I suspect we all do.  This is a normal, healthy and constructive process because it allows for us to move in to a problem solving mode allowing us to connect to someone who will not just be understanding but help us resolve the complaint in question. 

However, despite my best efforts,  I struggle when it comes to chronic complainers.  I want to be sympathetic to these individuals, but  find this particular bad habit quite irritating. I am not talking about the occasional complaint, I am talking about those who complain about any and  everything. These people also want to connect to someone who will understand and validate their complaints but they have no desire for resolution because they have been complaining for so long that they get stuck in victim mode which reeks havoc on their self-esteem and ability to see the bright side of anything. In addition to complaining they have a "woe is me" attitude and act as if no one has it worse than they do.  

I am an optimist, the glass is half full kind of gal,  and if there is a silver lining to be found you can bet I will be looking for it cause there is always a positive in the presence of a negative and vice versa.  With that being said I have to be mindful of how much exposure I have to negative people otherwise they will suck the positive energy right out of me. These people can be a real "kill joy", and joy is not something I am willing to take a chance of losing.

I have a few chronic complainers in my life and because of that I have read many articles regarding complainers;  how to deal with them, what they want or need, and even how to avoid them. To be quite honest, when my own positive energy is running low,  all I really want to do is get as far away from them as possible.

This sounds a bit harsh I know but its not like its a incurable disease but rather a mind set that becomes a nasty habit and makes them less and less desirable to be around. Chronic complainers are drawn to happy positive people because they want that for themselves but they have become so enthralled in a web of negative thoughts that they struggle to break free and then give up when it seems too hard.

Chronic complainers are not bad people, they are good people, who picked up a nasty habit. Like all nasty habits they can be broken. We are all susceptible, the more we complain the more we find we want to complain. Complaining all the time is destructive and steals your joy, limits your patience and makes it impossible to feel peace. A complaining spirit causes division,  it is self-seeking and hinders our relationship with others and with God. The bible speaks directly to complaining, saying "do not complain" (Philippians 2:14) complaining is a symptom of a deep-seeded spiritual problem - failure to trust God and failure to submit to His will.  With God it's all or nothing. Surrender is everything, the good, the bad, and the ugly. God wants good things for us, and as with any Father it breaks His heart when His children choose to be miserable because of a complaining spirit. 

If you struggle with a complaining spirit (chronic complainer) and are tired of living and feeling miserable all the time I want you to know that there is hope, you are not alone and you deserve better. A complaining spirit effects Christians and non- Christians alike and I want to encourage you to break the cycle of negativity in your life, stop complaining, but instead begin to focus on all that is good in your life, make a habit of looking for things to be thankful for, find that silver lining.   God loves you and wants to heal your hurts, renew your mind, deliver you from the bondage of negative thinking and help you find joy and peace once again. You will be happier and those who love you will want to spend more time with you too. 

 I attached a link for a book "Get out of that Pit" by Beth Moore and if you are struggling with any strong holds in yours life you will find it encouraging and helpful. Get out of that Pit - Beth Moore