Refrain from Complaining

Tuesday of the Fifth Week of Lent

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Numbers 21:4-9

In punishment the LORD sent among the people saraph serpents,which bit the people so that many of them died.

Gospel of John 8:21-30
So Jesus said to them,“When you lift up the Son of Man, then you will realize that I AM,

and that I do nothing on my own,but I say only what the Father taught me. The one who sent me is with me. He has not left me alone, because I always do what is pleasing to him.” Because he spoke this way, many came to believe in him.

Watch out for that serpent!  Poor Moses!  He must have pulled out huge chunks of his long white hair listening to the Israelites constantly complaining. The mumbling and grumbling was way too much. Would the Israelites have preferred life of persecution and slavery in Egypt?  I doubt it!   Nobody ever promised the journey to the Promiseland would be easy. Yet, the Chosen People seem to forget that  temporary hardship would eventually lead to freedom and new life!  God blessed them with the manna and the quail.  He also helped them escape from the grasp of Pharoah.  He protected them from harm.  But, they continued to moan and groan anyway.  Finally the Lord had enough of them and sent out seraphs to bite and kill!!  Moses remedies the situation by placing a seraph on a pole which immediately stops the serpents from further destruction. 

Does the image of a serpent on a pole remind you of anything?  Think of Jesus Christ crucified!  Moses' seraph on a pole saved the Israelites from death just as Jesus Christ dying on the cross saved us from our sins.  Both images show the incredible mercy and grace God bestows on each one of us.  He is forever protecting and strengthening his people.  All we need to do is believe and remain faithful in our beliefs....  

Be thankful for our blessings and refrain from complaining!

Refrain from Complaining  The next time you feel like complaining about something think about a serpent biting at your toes.  Does it sting?  Does it burn?  It hurts like heck, doesn't it?  It's a good thing the Lord doesn't formally punish us like the people of the Old Testament or we'd all be in bad shape.  

God doesn't want us to constantly whine, moan and groan.  We need to learn the grace of contentment.  Not everything will work out the way we hope.  We must accept circumstances as they are and try to deal with them as best as we can.  One thing for certain is things will change.  Nothing stays the same for long.  I find when I hold my tongue and don't complain about a situation it normally works itself out!  Then I can breathe a sigh of relief.  God has clever ways of handling circumstances that seem impossible.  He understands our burdens and struggles.  He will help us in times of need.  Don't worry.  Remain faithful and strong!

-J.