No More Complaining

 

After years of conversations with high schoolers, I have found more times than not the advice that I’m giving them can be applied to my life.  Sometimes it has to be adapted a bit to fit a more “grown-up” situation…and then there are the times where it applies directly.  Like today.

Most of my sweet girls are getting ready to graduate high school in a few months. That is not the topic of conversation for today, as my heart is not ready to deal with it.  With graduation looming, some have acquired senioritis…and some have it much worse than others.  I’ve also realized that senioritis doesn’t look the same for everyone.  When I had it, I was sentimental about everything.  My cousin has it…but she adopts more of “I’m a senior, and I do what I want” mentality.  Then there is the type that complains. 

I have a few complainers in my mix too.  For months I had been saying “complaining doesn’t accomplish anything, it only makes you more miserable”…”quit wishing this away. school is here to stay, so make the most of it”…”when you’re complaining, it’s hard to be the light for God to your classmates and teachers.” 

After listening to months of complaining, I had reached my breaking point.  Of course, I couldn’t tell them that….whoops, guess they probably know it now that it’s on the old blog…oh well, they probably realized it.  So I declared February to NO COMPLAINING ABOUT SCHOOL MONTH.  I actually did it over text and as soon as I hit send and read it, I knew immediately that this was something I needed to declare for myself as well. 

At the time, I was getting ready to start my second semester of Divinity School.  The first semester was hard for so many reasons…but I didn’t make it any better by complaining about it.  In fact, it only made me and those around me more miserable.  I’m typically a positive realist…so this complaining about things was new for me…and I didn’t like it. 

So, now here we are.  February 1.  No complaining.  My girls know it.  My friends know it.  My family knows it.  No complaining.  When I get the urge to complain, there are plenty of other beneficial things I can do instead…pray, read my Bible, study for a class, exercise, call a friend and ask about THEIR day…the list could go on and on.

Since you’ve read all the way through the post, if you hear me complaining, you have permission to call me out on it.  You also have permission to call these two precious girls in the pictures with me out on it because we are serious about NO COMPLAINING.