Cost of Whining

Evening and morning and at noon, I will complain and murmur, And He will hear my voice. (Psalm 55:17 NAS)

In a news article of February 21, 2013 at WishTV.com, a Greenwood doctor was reported to be under fire after he admitted to charging a patient more money for whining, among other complaints.

“I charged him level 5,” the doctor wrote in his blog post, “for taking so much of my time, for bad-mouthing his previous doctors, and for incessant whining.”

Several medical billing experts interviewed said the post written by the doctor is unlikely to rise to the level of “illegal billing” as it would be hard to prove the intent of billing abuse.

Bad-mouthing and whining are not something uncommon to many people. When we do our best in our job, for example, we tend to sometimes expect our hirer to reward us in one way or another besides paying us what is due. At times, we may feel unhappy or discontent when we do not receive the appreciation or reciprocal return we feel we deserve, especially when we see our peers getting rewarded instead of us. Perhaps we may have put in more hours at work than the others and yet receive the same wages or bonuses, or perhaps we did not receive anything at all. Gradually, we may begin to grumble and whine without realizing the harm we are bringing to ourselves and others.

The Bible contains many teachings about grumbling and complaining. In the epistle to the brethren at Corinth, Paul wrote about the events that took place in the Old Testament days to teach them the mistakes to avoid so they may not have to bear the consequences. One of these mistakes includes grumbling or complaining (1 Corinthians 10:10).

Job, in his sufferings and troubles, complained (Job 7:11; 10:1). King David, praying for the destruction of the treacherous, complained and murmured (Psalm 55:17). God responded to Job with a question and Job sought forgiveness (Job 40:1-5). David acknowledged God’s salvation and redemption in bringing his complains to God (Psalm 55:16, 18).

Are we grumbling, murmuring, complaining or whining? If we are, then let us be aware the consequences we may have to bear. While charging extra may be unethical in medical billing, the price we pay for bad attitudes or behavior can cost us more. If we are a worker or an employee, our job can be put at risk if we persist with our grumbling or whining. Such behavior is bad influence to others and can cause low morale—a sure way to get fired. Remember, in whatever we do we should work heartily as for the Lord rather than for men, knowing that from the Lord we will receive our reward (Colossians 3:23-24).

Dear Lord, forgive us for sometimes whining, grumbling, murmuring or complaining about so many things. We know Lord the consequences we may have to bear with such behavior and we pray that You be merciful to us in our weakness. Help us rise above our circumstances Lord, knowing that our reward is from You, not men. Renew us by Your Spirit Lord that we may grow to be more and more like You each day and not be a bad influence to others. Redeem our soul in peace O Lord as we call upon You to save us in our times of troubles and need.