“Do all things without grumbling or disputing; so that you may prove yourselves to be blameless and innocent, children of God above reproach in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you appear as lights in the world.” Phil 2:14-15
In the book Finding Calcutta, Dr. Mary Poplin comments on the ease with which a spirit of complaining can derail what God wants to have happen in people. She said, “One complaint led to another. It reminded me of many teachers lounges, offices and faculty meetings. How easily one derogatory comment leads to another, and soon the spirit of the place is rife with anger, frustration and discouragement. One of the most difficult things about learning to live in Christ is overcoming the tendency to live by feelings and over-rationalized imaginations. Our spirits are made to be filled with God’s Spirit and thus have primacy over our body, mind, will and emotions.”
As Christians it is our love, like light, that dispels the darkness where anger can thrive. It is wise to remember the words of Eleanor Roosevelt who said, “It is better to light a candle than curse the darkness.” Martin Luther King Jr. recognized this when he said, “Darkness can not drive out darkness, only light can do that. Hate can not drive out hate, only love can do that.”
The solution to dark times are bright people.
