Grumpy

Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth! Serve the Lord with gladness! Come into his presence with singing! Know that the Lord, he is God! It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture. Enter his gates with thanksgiving, and his courts with praise! Give thanks to him; bless his name! For the Lord is good; his steadfast love endures forever, and his faithfulness to all generations. (Psalm 100:1-5 ESV).

 

Snow White and Seven Dwarfs is a great study in personalities. I know you remember the story, but do you remember the original names of the seven dwarfs in the movie? They are: Grumpy, Dopey, Doc, Happy, Bashful, Sneezy and Sleepy. Dopey was supposed to be a speaking character, but when no actor was picked to play him, the character was rewritten as mute. I have often been forced to think about those times when I resemble Grumpy much more than Happy. Unfortunately this may be a more common problem with all of us than we’d like to admit. In fact, just spend a little time in any line waiting to be served and you may hear the sound of a thousand grumbles. Children grumble about parents. Parents grumble about children. Grandparents grumble about both. Teachers grumble about students. Students grumble about teachers. Principals grumble about both. And, that’s just in the school systems and homes of our nation. We also see it throughout the political and economic landscape in our current circumstances.

 

Grumbling is a favorite pastime of humanity, and believers are not exempt. Few vices are treated more kindly. God’s people may not get drunk, or cheat, or commit adultery, but, oh, can they grumble! God rescued his people from slavery in Egypt and gave them food and water in the desert, and what did they do? They grumbled (cf. Exodus 12–17). God’s people grumbled so regularly that the apostle Peter had to say, “Offer hospitality to one another without grumbling” (1 Peter 4:9). James added, “Don’t grumble against one another … or you will be judged” (James 5:9).

 

In our world of a thousand grumbles, our reading calls us to a different way. Just as the psalms teach us about faith in times of fear (cf. Psalm 46), darkness (cf. Psalm 88), and anger (cf. Psalm 137), so they also teach us to live every day as a gift by praying thanks. Though the world gives us much to grumble about, the psalmist teaches, “It is he who made us, and we are his.” We belong to God. He saves and adopts us. As his children, we can rise above grumbling, as Jesus did. What a great time of the year to reemphasize that in our lives!