Snow Complaining

I have almost no experience driving in the snow. We may see snow on the ground once every two or three years in my area of Texas. When it does snow and “stick,” everything (and I mean everything) shuts down, and there’s sure to be a giant run on bottled water and toilet paper (On a side note, why these two things? Water, sure. That makes sense because you need it for, you know, survival. But WHY does everyone go buy all the toilet paper? Is there some link between winter storms and colon issues? I digress…)

Imagine my anxiety when I found myself driving in a snowstorm that dropped over 20 inches of snow in 24 hours. Did I mention I was driving up a MOUNTAIN road - the kind with swerves and sharp drop-offs I don’t even want to drive on in perfect weather? And that it had SNOW on it? And ice? And LOTS of it? Also, I don’t have four-wheel drive, so there’s that.

I knew I was in trouble on the way up when I hit ice and slid into the other lane. Thankfully, there wasn’t oncoming traffic (most people being wise enough to stay off the roads in such a storm), and I was able to back the car up and get to the shoulder without incident. There, my wonderful husband put chains on the tires.

We made it up the rest of the mountain with no problem with the chains. I mean, I was literally going 10 mph, but whatever. We got there alive.

We had a great afternoon of skiing, all while the snow continued to fall on the mountain. It really was beautiful to watch. The problem was that this little Texan still had to get back DOWN the mountain. In the snow. Driving on the roads with the ice and the snow.

I know what you are thinking - surely a place with this much snow has plows, right? Right! The plows did make it up the road at some point that day, but so much snow was falling that by the time we left and started down the road, I was struggling to tell where the road even was.

It was bad, folks. But we were making it. I was praying every mile of that journey back down the mountain, and besides a frozen windshield wiper that was blurring most of my vision (which was fixed after we finally found a place to stop that wouldn’t drop us off a cliff), we were chugging along pretty well.

Until we weren’t. Instead of going straight, as we were supposed to, my car decided that while we went down this particular hill, it would be fun to spin instead. I lost control entirely, and we did a 360, coming to a stop facing the same direction we should be going, only mostly in the other lane. My front passenger side of the car was partially in the correct lane, though, and there were two cars behind about to slam into us.

Thankfully, the Lord gave me focus and peace, and I was able to reverse us out of the way of those two cars and get us back in our lane just before any harm was done.

Yay! We lived! We thanked God for his provision and safety, knowing things could have turned out much worse. Truly, I give him all the credit for our safety on that trip.

Good story, right? But, why am I telling you this?

Well, you would think I would be content to drive on the roads the next day or two (not in the mountains) without having an accident. You know, since we had been so close to having one earlier.

But no. We started our drive home and found ourselves with an hour's wait on the highway because there had been an accident up ahead.

So we sat. We’d gotten up early to hit the road and drive the 12 hours back home, only to sit and wait…and wait some more.

Did I sit there in peaceful contentment, thinking about all God had saved me from? Did I think about how thankful I was this accident didn’t involve my car? Nope. I grumbled. There were sighs. Loud ones.

Though I didn’t say it out loud, I was thinking about how frustrating it was that we’d rushed to get up and get on the road only to sit.

I complained - in my heart and head, if not verbally.

How ungrateful.

The funny thing is I’ve been studying Exodus and Numbers lately and have been so put off by the complaining of the Israelites.

God miraculously frees them from the Egyptians (you know, Red Sea splitting, 10 plagues level stuff), and they grumble about not finding water after three days in the desert. I get water is a need, for sure. But Exodus doesn’t say they were thirsty and asked the ALMIGHTY GOD who had just held back the sea for them for some water. No - it says “the people grumbled against Moses, saying, ‘What are we to drink?’” (Exodus 15: 24). Moses is God’s man. He is God’s chosen leader and the one to whom God speaks directly. Grumbling against Moses here is, by association, grumbling against God (Moses is just following orders, after all).

Even so, God hears them and provides by turning a bitter stream into a drinkable one. Then, he brings them to a place called “Elim, where there were twelve springs and seventy palm trees” (Exodus 15: 27). Yay! All better! Surely they could have nothing more to complain about.

Wrong.

The Israelites move from Elim to the Desert of Sin (What a name!). In this desert, we are told “the whole community grumbled against Moses and Aaron” and said they would have rather died instead of being brought out into the desert because at least in Egypt they had lots of food (Exodus 16:3). What whiners!

Still, God is gracious. While I might feel they needed a time-out or something, God gives them manna. He says he will “rain down bread from heaven” (Exodus 16:4) for the people to go and gather. Each day, he will give them enough food for that day. We are talking about a pretty cool version of Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs here.

They complain again about not having water in Exodus 17:3, and even though Moses seems rather frustrated with the people, God tells him to strike a rock and ta-da - water for everyone!

There is much more complaining that happens and much more to say on this topic, but for our purposes, let’s just note that the Israelites keep whining, and while at first, God is patient and merciful to them, there does come a point when their complaining warrants punishment - some very severe. That’s a study for another time, though.

The passage that really gets me is in Numbers 11.

“The rabble with them began to crave other food, and again the Israelites started wailing and said, ‘If only we had meat to eat! We remember the fish we ate in Egypt at no cost –also the cucumbers, melons, leeks, onions and garlic. But now we have lost our appetite; we never see anything but this manna!” (Numbers 11: 4-6).

This time, they weren’t just complaining; they were wailing. We are talking about toddler-level tantrum status here. Why? Because the MIRACULOUS food God had been giving them daily (after they’d complained earlier about having NO food, mind you) was getting boring.

Think about this. They would rather go back to slavery so they had all the cucumbers they could eat than be free with miraculous, sustaining food - just because they were tired of it.

This isn’t a need like having water. This is about preference. This is about them saying they aren’t satisfied with what God is directly giving them. They don’t go and ask respectfully, with the awe and humility God deserves. They metaphorically stomp their feet and bang their fists on the floor in a tantrum because what God is giving them isn’t what they want.

So, what does God do about this?

He tells Moses to tell the people, “Consecrate yourselves in preparation for tomorrow, when you will eat meat. The Lord heard you wailed, ‘If only we had meat to eat! We were better off in Egypt!’ Now the Lord will give you meat, and you will eat it. You will not eat it for just one day, or two days, or five, or ten or twenty days, but for a whole month–until it comes out of your nostrils and you loathe it –because you have rejected the Lord, who is among you, and have wailed before him” (Numbers 11: 18-20).

You want something else? Fine. He gives the people what they asked for - meat. He brings quail in from the sea that pile up about three feet high, as far as one could walk in a day in all directions. He gives them so much they will be sick of eating it.

Then, as they were eating the quail, even as “the meat was still between their teeth [...] the anger of the Lord burned against the people, and he struck them with a severe plague” (Numbers 11:33).

Yikes.

Here’s the recap:

• The Israelites get bored of manna, the food God sent for them every day. They complained, wailing.

• God says he’ll give them so much meat they’ll get sick of it (there’s a message here about getting what you think you want, isn’t there?).

• He fulfills his promise with so much quail they are practically swimming in it.

• Then, as they are chewing the quail, he sends a plague because, surprise, their complaining makes him angry.

I don’t know about you, but I read this and think, “How ungrateful!” God is providing for their every need. He has rescued them. He is showing them new miracles on the regular. And STILL they complain and whine? Of course he is angry!

C’mon guys! This is ridiculous!

But then I look at my own life and realize I often do the very same thing.

It may not be with manna and quail, but how often have I looked at what God has given me and complained?

Thanks for the place to live, God, but really, I wish it were bigger or nicer.

Hey, love that you gave me a job, but it’d be nice if they paid me more. Also, my boss is kind of a jerk. I wish you would fix that.

I’m happy you brought me to this church, but ugh, have you heard the music they play? C’mon. Surely I’m not expected to listen to this?

Cool that we have food in our pantry, but I hate cooking. Why can’t we go out to eat more often?

Or, here’s one:

Oh, thanks for saving our lives driving in the snow yesterday, but SERIOUSLY, this wait in traffic today STINKS. Can you move it along?

Yep. In that moment, God showed me I am not so far removed from the Israelites. I, too, complain about things in my life and sometimes even about things God’s given me in his provision and grace.

So, it’s “snow” more complaining for me. (See what I did there?) At least, that’s my goal.

Philippians 2: 14-15 says, “Do everything without grumbling or arguing, so that you may become blameless and pure, ‘children of God without fault in a warped and crooked generation.’”

In a world like ours - one “warped and crooked” - we are called to be different. We are to live lives without grumbling, without complaining.

About anything.

Even if your boss or co-worker does something frustrating.

Even if you are picking up laundry off the floor for the twentieth time today.

Even if your ‘friend’ bailed on you again.

Even if that one relative made those terrible choices you have to help clean up.

Even if…anything.

God has given us so very much. Like the Israelites, we, too, have been freed from slavery - the slavery of sin. Who are we to complain in the face of such grace?

Instead, let’s practice being grateful. Every time you are tempted to complain, try giving thanks to God for something good in your life.

I imagine that would be pleasing to God.

I would also imagine it will make our lives considerably more joyful.