Not All Wine and Roses

Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts. Colossians 3:16 NIV

I read a FB post from my daughter and then I read this verse. What she said in her post illustrates this verse so well. People were complaining that they still did not have power after Hurricane Irma. My daughter cautioned people to be patient in not having power as some people had lost their homes. She also asked them to be thankful that things were not worse than they are.

As Christians, we tend to think that everything should be wine and roses, happy thoughts only, that always praising God means never saying anything negative. This verse points out that is not always the case, nor should it be. Anyone that has children knows you must sometimes correct bad or wrong behavior, not because the child is bad, but they did or said something that is wrong, hurtful or inappropriate.

We must also sometimes do this for our fellow Christians. Human emotions run deep and when faced with stressful times, our 'Christian' demeanor sometimes takes a back seat. That's when our fellow Christians can step in and admonish us, in love, to remember where our help comes from and to be grateful for our blessings. We have every reason to experience sadness, anger, resentment..all those emotions that people think are bad. It's not the feeling that is bad, it's the action and reaction to that feeling.

So yes, if people are complaining they are without power while the house next door has been levelled, I'd say a little admonishment and love is in order. Let's lift each other up in times like this. Let's help with gentle reminders of God's love