"Do everything without complaining and arguing..." ... Philippians 2:14
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I think about odd things.
Like, if I was on Death Row and scheduled for the electric chair, I've got my final meal all planned out. You know, just in case:
Spaghetti and meatballs
A beef enchilada
Chocolate ice cream with chocolate bar pieces
Orange soda (In real life I always choose orange seltzer water, but in this case, I'd go for the full-blown, sugary orange soda, because hey. Why not?)
Oh, and yogurt. Any flavor of yogurt because I love it all.
Speaking of yogurt (were we?) ... Did you know that the Yoplait company removed high fructose corn syrup from all their yogurt because regular ol' people (a.k.a. consumers) complained about it by way of Yoplait's Facebook page and website? After that, the company eliminated 25 percent of sugar in their products following more complaints.
I think about that often, also, because it makes so much darn sense.
Those changes at Yoplait were not made because thousands of people sat in their living rooms with friends, moaning, "I wish Yoplait would remove high fructose corn syrup from their yogurt. Somebody should do something about that awful company. Shut it down or something. I, myself refuse to eat the stuff."
It wasn't complaining to friends at Facebook or Twitter that got things rolling in a right direction. No, consumers became active, instead. They sent their concerns, their complaints, to the source: the Yoplait company. To people who could actually do something.
And there's the lesson for today.
Why go on complaining to our friends and relatives who just don't want to hear it and can, usually, do nothing about our complaints? Why not, instead, voice our concerns only in places they stand a chance of being addressed and taken care of?
It's, like, a waste of our breath/time/efforts to do otherwise and it's probably costing more friendships than we realize(!)
Uh-oh.
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Speaking of complaining--if we truly realized how good we've got it, we'd stop our needless whining (and dare I say, worrying?).
It's all rather like this illustration, which my buddy, Dolores, shared at Facebook:
(If you saw the movie, Up, you realize the deeper meaning of this.)
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Yesterday I finished reading the free Kindle book, Time and Again by Deborah Heal. What a delightful summer read! Could not put it down.
Free Kindle books:
The Miracle of Christmas
Making Money Online
Herbal Antibiotics and Antivirals For Beginners
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Oh Debra, you are so funny! I am referring to you having your last meal! It always makes me think , how can they enjoy the meal,knowing its the last, I do not think I could eat a bite! You are so right about the complaining!
ReplyDeleteI've thought about the death row last meal, too. Maybe we all have. lol. Pretty sure it would be pizza.....and lots of dessert. Then I wonder....what if I were stranded on an island and you had to choose what you'd eat for the rest of your life? Fruit? Bread? Not sure. Reminds me of Tom Hanks on that movie when he was stranded and when they finally found him he couldn't stomach to look at sea food.....and they gave him a dinner (welcome back) with lots of fancy seafood appetizers to which he rolled his eyes. Would think someone would have thought about that. *sigh* Anyway....you must like bits of chocolate in with your ice cream here in real life or you wouldn't order it like that later. Think how spoiled we are to be able to customized our ice cream. Boy God is great in little (ice cream) ways. : )
ReplyDeleteElizabeth--I'm not sure I ever thought about not being able to eat my last meal.I'm one of those people who eats more during stressful times. heh. And you know? I've always assumed, in this scenario, that I'd be dying for my faith and so I'd be really looking forward to Heaven--and able to eat my favorite foods before I go! ...smile...
ReplyDeleteBonnie--pizza and lots of desserts sounds wonderful to me! And yes--my very favorite chocolate ice cream is the kind with bits of a chocolate bar in it. Yummmm...... :) Thanks for playing along!
Thanks, Ladies! ... Blessings, Debra
I used to be a chronic complainer and learned it from a mother who complained with the best of them. LOL But God has been working on me for years now to get my focus shifted. It helps to have a husband who has the saying "either do something about it or stop complaining." gee - that sounds biblical! :)
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