Unrestrained Service: A Devotional for Nonprofit Leaders and Volunteersનમૂનો

Day 3 – Complain Culture

In the United States of America, we live in the land of liberty, opportunity, and privilege. At the same time, we could honestly reveal, we are also a nation overtaken with complaining. Our society is often thankless, but even more than that, we seem compelled to complain about the smallest matters. Things for which people in other countries are unphased, we tend to complain if we experience the slightest inconvenience. While there are a few positive effects of complaining such as helping people to feel seen and heard and those that result in changes for the better, the overwhelmingly negative consequences of complaining reinforce egos, separate people and communities, and can have an adverse effect on mental health.

Sadly, complaining is contagious and toxic to any environment, but it can be especially damaging to a nonprofit organization. It is unpaid volunteers who churn the success of nonprofits, so when “complain culture” permeates the atmosphere, people are more apt to just stop volunteering because they are not receiving pay anyway. Unfortunately, this can crush the mission and goals of any nonprofit, both large and small.

Although volunteering has many benefits, our ultimate goal should be to become pleasing to God. When this is our focus, it helps us to maintain all things in perspective even when we’re faced with negative circumstances. 1 Thessalonians 5:18 says, in everything give thanks, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you. Listen, my Kingdom brothers and sisters, I understand it is taxing to be thankful for a trying state as an unpaid volunteer. Likely, your resolution will be quick, decisive, and ends with “I don’t have to take this”. But the greater questions that are worth your prayers and consideration before making a decision are --will God be pleased with my actions in this situation and is there a lesson that the Father wants me to learn in this predicament?

As children of The King, we don’t ever want to get caught up in the “complain culture” just because things are not going the way we feel they should. God’s anger was kindled against the children of Israel and the fire of the Lord consumed them because of their complaining. So, instead of mumbling and grumbling, in every plight, let us call to mind to be watchful, grateful, prayerful, and pleasing to the Lord.