Steve Parton says science confirms that constant complaining can affect your mental and physical health. He says when we keep repeating negative thoughts we make it easy to have more negative thoughts. If we keep thinking negatively we develop a pessimistic outlook on life. Eventually, most of our thoughts tend to be negative. We become a complainer and we enjoy the company of other complainers. Then after a while we begin to gain weight, develop high blood pressure, heart disease, and other unhealthy ailments. If unchecked it can lead to death. We read in Exodus how God delivered ancient Israel from Egyptian slavery. Yet once they were free, they began to complain, first about water and soon about food. They quickly forgot the rigors of slavery. We read in Exodus 16, that looking back to Egypt they said, “We sat around pots filled with meat and ate all the bread we wanted. But now you have brought us into this wilderness to starve us all to death.” Typically, complainers grieve the present and point to the past as better. On the other hand, faith is grateful for what is now and believes the best is yet to come. Our Lord gives His followers good reasons to be people of faith.
Dr. Melvin E. Banks, Sr. is the founder and chairman of UMI (Urban Ministries, Inc.). Under his direction, UMI has grown to be a leading publisher of Christian education resources for churches in the African American community. Read More
