Whine Not!

How many times have you whined today? Give it up! We all complain numerous times each and every day. And usually about trivial things that really don't matter or that we simply can't change. We just don't like to admit that we are whiners. Think about it.

It's June in Alabama. It's hot and humid. And sunny. I'm thankful that the rain has finally stopped but now in a two-day span of time the ground is so hard. I miss the cooler temperatures that the rain brought. But when it was raining and water was standing everywhere, I was first in line complaining that I wanted to see the sun.

Or think about the traffic. That's a favorite whine topic. The stop lights never work to our satisfaction. If we're in a hurry, they're always red. When we're trying to delay our arrival, they're always green. And don't forget about that slowpoke going our way. You've heard the phrase "he's got nowhere to go and all day to get there." If the slowpoke stayed home, then his neighbor is tailgating us when we're trying to be a cautious driver and go the speed limit.

We weigh too much. Our spouse complains too much. Our children talk back. Our neighbors forgot to mow their grass while they were on vacation. The list goes on and on. I can whine with the best complainers in the world.

Until I go to a website called caringbridge.com. It's a free site for people and their families who are going through a serious illness. In my case, I first visited the site to check on my three-year-old cousin who has leukemia. It'll put all your complaints on the backburner. It'll make you feel guilty for ever whining about anything as trivial as traffic or the weather. It'll make you want to hug your family close and drop down to your knees to thank God that you and your family are healthy.

People suffer every day. Children endure painful medical treatments that are necessary to save their lives. Adults struggle with fatigue and hair loss and trying to maintain a normal attitude while they struggle against death. People are hungry and homeless and alone. All in this country. The land of plenty is what we call the United States. But that's only for some people. Others bravely go forward without healthcare, without proper food, without a place to live.

We want to blame them. On Good Morning America today they talked about how people want to find a reason as to why a person gets cancer. Oh, you smoked. Or you didn't exercise. Or you didn't eat the proper food. The list goes on and on. We want to believe that somehow that person who seems just like us somehow caused their illness. That lets us off the hook. We don't have to worry that we'll get sick, that we'll face death, that we'll one day have a real reason to whine.

The funny thing is that people who do have reasons to whine, rarely do. A friend at church is fighting lung cancer. She's the most joyful person to be around. She's just so grateful for the prayers and support she has as she battles this disease. I want to be like her. Peace in the middle of a great storm.

Or my cousin's wife who holds her sick toddler, never leaving her during hospital stays and medical treatments that go on and on. Guilt plagues her as she misses her older children. She praises God when the family has a few days at home. Gladness surrounds those who enter her world. She knows what is important. She doesn't whine about trivial things. I want to be like her.

I wish I could say I will never whine again. I know myself better than that. I also know that what I've heard before is true. Whenever I catch myself whining, I stop and start counting my blessings. If I can, I visit the caringbridge website. I call someone who is hurting or struggling. Then I get down on my knees to thank God for all His blessings and to ask forgiveness for ever whining about anything.