Complaints

Here's a picture of our dog:

She's a miniature dachshund named Tessa, and almost eight years old. We got her because I lost a bet with my younger daughter, the dog has a pretty poor attitude and a general dislike toward anyone other than the four of us, demands to be fed at 9:00 am (not 9:05) and barks at anything that moves (birds, squirrels, the sun, etc.). 

She's gotten the same food every day for her whole life. She repeatedly asks for more and usually wants to eat with us (and is occasionally successful, as some of Alison's friends can attest), but is content to eat the same thing. In fact, it's the highlight of her day, after which she schedules some power sleeping time. I've often wondered if she doesn't have it right--she has the faith that we'll take care of her and  satisfied with what she has instead of constantly striving for more.

Of course, we're not animals, and with consciousness comes awareness. The funny thing is, we're not that far removed from living like the Israelites did, eating the same food over and over. Indeed, except for the wealthy, the concept of a varied diet was almost unheard of as recently as 100 years ago, and just having food was enough. As is usual, we've become spoiled with the abundance that our society in particular has, and the common contempt of the familiar begins.

It would be nice to confidently state that we've learned our lesson and don't complain like the Israelites did, but we're no different. We constantly complain about the "manna" that God has given us in our lives and yearn constantly for the "cucumbers, melons, leeks, onions and garlic" instead of being thankful that we have the manna in the first place. Paul will state quite clearly what we should do about complaining on December 15th in what are two of my favorite Bible verses. My dog gets her one meal a day, a warm place to hang out and two girls who love her and doesn't ask for more (often). Is there any reason why we can't be just as satisfied with what God gives us each and every day?

Scott