Grumbling Or Grateful?

The once grateful are now grumbling. It’s been 45 days of shelter in place, and the natives are getting restless. When will things return to normal?

Almost daily during this pandemic I am reminded how not normal things are. I walk out of my house and steer clear of people. I loathe trips to the grocery store. I can’t hold my niece. My classroom is now my dining room. And these are just personal inconveniences. In the news I’m confronted with far worse. The economy is sinking. Our medical system is failing. The death toll has surpassed the Vietnam War.

Let’s get this straight - it is not wrong to long for what was. The beauty of our God given role as caretakers on this earth is to fill it and subdue it. Yet we find ourselves bound to our homes and only permitted to leave for essential outings. We were never made for confinement, so certainly this goes against our very nature.

I’ve become acutely aware of my many flaws as mobility and freedoms have been stripped from us. And I have found myself returning to another time of persistent loss - when I was living overseas and dealing with my own sense of rights. This reminder of how God was gracious then has helped inform my present circumstance. That is, I know that this, too, shall pass. He was faithful then, and He is faithful now. It’s not that I get this every day. It took me weeks to cycle through my grief. But I’ve mercifully emerged with a comfort that gives me tremendous peace.

The Israelites easily forgot God’s provision and faithfulness. Not long would pass after God’s provision that they would start grumbling again. They even doubted in times of plenty, collecting more food when they were told that they would be provided for daily. And yet that steadfast - never ending, never stopping, never changing, forever love of God preserved them. May we turn to Him ever grateful, and not grumbling.