Philippians 2.14-15
“Do all things without grumbling or complaining, that you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world.”
Blaming others, complaining about circumstances, and defending your default behavior is a bad investment of time and energy. Here are six reasons why…
BCD makes things worse.
Everyone has challenges and issues. Every organization has problems that need to get fixed. BCD does not fix or solve anything, for anyone. It only makes things worse by adding a bad attitude to already existing problems. Don’t make a difficult situation worse by responding poorly.
“And the Lord spoke to Moses and to Aaron, saying, “How long shall this wicked congregation grumble against me? I have heard the grumblings of the people of Israel, which they grumble against me. Say to them, ‘As I live, declares the Lord, what you have said in my hearing I will do to you.’” (Numbers 14.26-28)
BCD takes time and energy away from real problem-solving.
The time and effort you waste on complaining could be invested in finding solutions, fixing problems, and achieving results. Complaining creates a culture of negativity which kills innovation and creativity. Negative people are quick to shoot down new ideas. Create a culture of positive energy. Focus your effort on finding solutions, not complaining about problems.
BCD is easy.
It doesn’t require any effort or discipline. It’s always easier to complain about problems than it is to solve them. That’s not only lazy but also guarantees that the problem won’t go away. Resist the easy (and crowded) path of complaining and blaming. Take ownership to do the hard work of solving.
BCD is habit-forming.
Once you start, it’s hard to stop. It gets easier each time you do it. It becomes your default reaction when things don’t go the way you want. And there will always be things that don’t go the way you want. The habits you feed will grow. Stop feeding the BCD habit.
BCD is contagious.
People feel compelled to communicate their complaints and criticisms. They want other people to share their negative perspective. This is completely counter-productive. It promotes unhealthy relationships that are built (and rely) on negative experiences. Do you have any of these relationships? Be relentless about problem-solving. Be more persistent than the cynics. Refuse to participate in BCD.
BCD damages your credibility and effectiveness.
The more you BCD, the more people see you as a defensive complainer. They don’t see you as helpful and they aren’t motivated to connect with you. On the other hand, as the Philippians passage above says, when you “do all things without grumbling or complaining,” you fulfill God’s call to “shine as lights in the world.” Be an effective agent of Christ and his kingdom. Be known as a solver, not a complainer.
BCD may be easy and popular and contagious and habitual, but it just isn’t successful. It never solves anything. It never changes anything. If you’re honest with yourself, it really doesn’t even make you feel better. You know what makes you feel better? Solving problems so you don’t have to deal with them anymore.
BCD is toxic. It is an excuse for not doing the hard work that life often requires. Eliminate BCD from your life now and forever. You’ll be glad you did.
“Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.” (Romans 5.3-6)
The Lord is calling.
