Grumbling

In 1975, I worked in a large operating room on the east coast. Three women who had attended nursing school at this hospital managed the O.R. One of them was getting a room ready for a case with another RN who was scrubbed in, setting up sterile instruments. They were having a heated disagreement when the patient was wheeled into the room and it continued with the patient listening in. Not good. Even though both nurses were involved, only the scrub nurse was suspended. She was African American. The supervisor was white.

I was hot. This was so unfair. After talking with several other nurses, I decided we should go on strike to protest. I was convinced we could shut down the whole hospital to vindicate the wrong done to this nurse. If one was suspended, both should have been.

This is a classic case of grumbling.

Grumbling means to express displeasure, discontent and hostility with muted tones of malicious criticism.

The children of Israel had been delivered from slavery in what only could have been described as a miraculous event. They had been rescued from the pursuing Egyptian army because God banked the waters and provided a dry path through the Red Sea until they crossed. When the army marched through the path, the waters rolled across them and drowned horses and riders.

The Israelites were ecstatic…singing and dancing, they signed on with God for life!

Three days later…their drinking water had run out. They were hot, tired and the excitement of their deliverance had faded from their memories. They began to grumble against their leader, Moses.

They probably said something like, “I cannot believe we are three days from anywhere and have no water. You would think he would have planned better…Who does he think he is thinking he can lead one million people into the middle of nowhere with no supplies. I knew his dad…he did the same hairbrained things. We should just go back, at least we weren’t thirsty…….”

Did one woman…did one man stop midsentence and say, “Holy cow…this is nothing compared to those plagues and parting the Red Sea! We should just ask God for water!”

Apparently, not one.

And who led them to that exact spot? God did. Their being waterless did not catch him by surprise…he knew exactly how much water they had or did not have. He could have made sure Moses planned, he could have told him to pile the water bags on the camels so the water wouldn’t run out until they came to some springs. But he didn’t do that. He LET it run out and waited to see what they would do.

It was a test. The intent of a test is not to kill us, it is to see how much we have learned … whether we’ve only accrued more head knowledge or if the knowledge we have gained has been integrated into our lives.

They grumbled. They expressed their discontent and hostility with malicious criticism. And the object of their criticism, Moses, was actually not their leader. God was.

And God wanted them to look to him for every need and expect him to meet each one...to confidently wait until he did.

And all the nice, faithful little twenty first century church people said, “Amen, and what was wrong with those people?!”

Over the weekend, my husband had some medical issues that needed attention by the first doctor who walked in his/her office on Monday morning. Monday he called, left a message. Called back, left another message. Called after lunch, left another message. Tuesday…called and finally talked to a real live person who said she would run it by the doctor and call back. At 3 p.m. he called her back. The doctor did not seem concerned. I was hacked, I was ranting and railing against the inefficiency of this medical office in general and this doctor in particular and every nurse who surrounded him. I was grumbling…with malicious intent.

The whole purpose of what I realized was a test since I taught this stupid lesson just the day before, was to see if I would turn to God to meet our needs. The whole purpose of the test for the children of Israel was to see if they would turn to God to meet their needs. And after what happened to me yesterday, my attitude has softened for those poor maligned Israelites.

Although not stated, I believe they did turn to God on Day One. I believe they probably looked at each other and said, “You know what? This is small potatoes for God after all he’s done for us….let’s just ask him.” I’m sure they all bowed their heads, affirmed their faith in him to meet their needs and waited expectantly.

All of this is total conjecture on my part, but I believe on Day Two, they ratcheted up the praying….it became more earnest and intense, maybe throwing in a fast. I’m sure they prayed without ceasing. By nightfall however, when absolutely nothing had happened, the babies were crying, the wives were stomping around the tents demanding action, the men decided it was time to confront the leader with skin on which was Moses, not God. They had talked to God and that hadn’t worked.

All this makes total sense if they think and act like we do.

But the bottom line is... God hates grumbling. In 1 Corinthians 10, he lumps it with idolators, immoral people and those who tried the Lord. He hates it. It’s sin. It questions his sovereignty over all things…like who is really in charge?

Should we stand up for the rights of the oppressed? Yes. Should we calmly and diplomatically suggest a a medical office adequately address the needs of their patients who call in? Yes. But that’s vastly different than calling 3 friends, sending 10 emails and blasting whatever it is that has just rubbed you wrong that day, no matter who’s right. If your conversation begins with a slowly measured, “You would not believe….” and is critical? It’s grumbling.

If you belong to him, you have a choice. I know you have a choice. I was confronted with the choice yesterday and you know what I realized? We don’t want to choose him….we enjoy grumbling! It feels good. We air it all out and feel empowered, vindicated. We think we think we’d implode if this activity was eliminated from our repertoire.

This is a choice that goes against our nature…it is an act of the will. I choose not to grumble. I choose to believe there is a plan and a reason for all of this that you, God, may or may not share with me. You have my vote and I’m going to go wash dishes and start singing. I’ll go for a walk with my I Pod. I’ll go bake a cake if I have to do something with all this energy, but I choose to please you.

Now you know. Ball is in your court. Just wait….He’s going to test you too!

P.S. The nurse asked me to back off the strike. She said she was afraid she’d be blackballed all over the city and would be unable to get a job if we pulled it off. I hugged her, shut up and backed off.

I’m still learning about grumbling 35 years later….which is pretty pathetic.