Calm my Anxious Heart Chp. 1

Contentment is a state of the heart, not a state of affairs. 
                                                                    - Linda Dillow

Reading about Ella and the apostle Paul, it makes me wonder, how does God see our complaining? Does it make him angry or sad? 


I have always felt like complaining was kind of like saying to God, 'Thank you (for where you put me), but no thank you (I don't like it here).' without the 'Thank you' in it. And based on that, people who complain a lot have always made me angry... especially the ones who do have food, home, family, job/school, etc... But maybe that is not the best reaction.

How should we react to those for whom a day without some 'good complaining' would not be a good day?

I think that this has always been on my mind as I definitely know more Merediths than Ellas. On the other hand, it seems to me that complaining may very well be a very cultural thing. I have noticed that my Chinese friends and classmates and roommate never complain. Even when they are going through some really harsh times.

What is it about the Western world that we complain so much, yet in other countries, people don't?


I must agree with LD in that the desire to have control over my own life had made me anxious in the past and comes back to my life here and there. I think graduate school has cured me of that very quickly. I still don't know how I was able to pass the first year or my classes last semester. The material, homework, workload and all were impossible. And I was very depressed and anxious at first. Then I realized that from time to time, it is good to remember that it was God who sent me here and that He sure knew what he was doing. And that perhaps he really wanted to teach me that I cannot do things, that only He can. I became content with my bad grades, old apartment, and impossible homework questions. As LD says, the bridge of trust was built, or at least some of its pillars. I think there are still many areas of my life in which I do not trust God

Do you have your own story of building trust in God? 


I have been also thinking about the story of the two monks. Either I did not understand it, or if it is what it is, then I don't really agree with the message it carries. It seems to me that the only difference was that the one was praying specifically while the other one was not.


Is praying for specific things bad? Like praying that someone would be healed? Or should we just pray that God does whatever to this sick person, for example? Or was it bad that the first monk was asking for small things? Would the first monk be not praying if he didn't trust that God would hear him?