Complaints

Of the seasons we enjoy in Northern Virginia, fall is my favorite. I have always enjoyed the autumn of the year. Cooler temperatures, beautiful colors, weekend football games, and of course, the calendar is marching ever closer to November and December and the wonderful holiday season. The fall is also a bridge between the warmth of summer and the chill of winter. Cooler temperatures are welcome now, but down the road they give way to hard freezes, barren trees, wind chill announcements, and snow shovels! Something so crisp and beautiful as fall is ultimately overcome by winter.

I suppose one easy remedy would be to move to a more moderate climate where changes in seasons are little noticed. Though I would enjoy that most days, I would miss the changing seasons, and without the weather to complain about, how would conversations with strangers be initiated???

Complaints about the weather are plentiful. In reality, our complaints about any of a number of things in this life, fill our conversations and color our perspectives. Consider the complaints of the children of Israel found in Exodus 16, as they tell Moses that they were better off in the slavery of Egypt than the land God has brought them to. We see the patience and provsion of God amidst their complaints...something we should take note of in our own seasons of complaint.

I sign off tonight with the realization that there is really very little for me to complain about. I, like you, have much to be thankful for. However, don't expect me to stop complaining about the weather. Some habits are just too hard to break! Besides, if I stopped complaining about the sun in my eyes, or the wind in my face, the rain, the cold, or the heat, I would lose half the excuses I make for my slumping golf game. Perhaps in the end, some complaints are worthwhile.

Jim Abernathy