When And How To Whine

Hello Emmanuel,

It’s Monday.  Not only is it Monday, but it is a Monday when I get to sit at an insurance meeting for clergy.  Yea!  Rah!  I’m so thrilled at such an event that I chose to not even dress up like a professional.  I’m wearing my Reds hoodie and warm-up pants.  It’s my version of protest.  (yes, I realize that no one cares).

If you want my blood pressure to go up, bring up issues of the insurance/medical world to me.  Then when my blood pressure goes up, send me to a doctor.  Then wait until I get a bill.  Then watch my blood pressure go up.  It’s a vicious cycle.  It’s actually a genius move for the insurance/medical world… if I actually believed in conspiracies.

So I’m not exactly thrilled right now.  I could go into details and talk about things like $10,000 deductibles and what all isn’t covered and how over-charged I am for things I can buy at Walmart… but I don’t want to sound like I’m whining…  then again, it’s probably too late for that.

But here is the irony of it all and the one reason I shouldn’t be whining:  my wife is an occupational therapist.  As an occupational therapist, she is given the privilege of reaping the benefits of being in the insurance/medical world.  It is the one reason I can’t cry too loud.  This mixed blessing/curse leads me to this week’s topic.

I’m very careful when and how I complain.  I’m also very careful in when and how I celebrate.  (I know this might be hard for some of you to believe).  What is a curse for one can be a blessing for another.  So as I pastor a church, I try to be careful.  It’s one of the reasons you don’t hear me talk Republican/Democrat stuff or conservative/liberal stuff.  There’s too much blessing and curse(ing) on both sides of the fence.  (However, I reserve the right to complain about the Steelers and Yankees.  This isn’t hypocrisy if God is a Cincinnati fan…. I mean, God IS a Cincinnati fan.. right?)

This isn’t to say I never complain or celebrate when it comes to certain topics.  However, I am encouraged to stay focused on God.  God gives me plenty to fill my day.  God keeps my mind and heart and spirit very busy.  Granted, my job gives me an advantage in that I’m reminded every day what and who I should be focused on.  However, even I can become distracted and sucked into issues and arguments that may not matter so much in the realm of God’s concerns and joys.

So I encourage you to stay focused.  Don’t hesitate to ask the question: ‘does this matter to God?’  Even if you don’t know the answer, just asking the question will remind you that not everything is worth complaining or celebrating about.  It may save you some precious time and decrease your blood pressure... much to the demise of the insurance/medical world.

The insurance representative is still talking.  She probably thinks I’m typing all the ‘important’ information that she is sharing.  Most of it is greek to me.  I think I’ll let me wife handle it.

God is Good,

Pastor Joe