"Friends, don't complain about each other. 
A far greater complaint could be lodged against you, you know."
James 5:9, The Message

This one cuts deep.  If you read it, and pay attention to what you're reading, it forces you to look inward.  I think as a society we're pretty quick to complain about situations, people, circumstances ... you name it.  If it weren't true, the saying "misery loves company" never would have been imagined.  When things aren't going well, or when we're frustrated about something, our knee jerk reaction is to complain, to grumble, or as the Bible puts it, murmur.

I spent an hour or so talking with a friend today.  During the conversation I caught myself twice complaining about things that other people did to me, or things people do in general.  I'd like to be able to say that the reason I caught myself was because I realized that complaining about what they did - and in fact judging them - was wrong.  Unfortunately, that wasn't the case.  I recognized what I was saying because I realized that someone could "lodge" the same exact complaints against me.  In fact, I'm sure people could come up with far worse.  Why is it when something bad or adverse happens to me I feel completely justified in grumbling about it?  Yet when I see someone else dealing with the same issue, I have no mercy for them ... I feel no empathy.  Well, eventually I do ... at some point I figure it out, but not immediately.  Sometimes it's a few minutes later ... or hours ... sometimes days.

Here's another thing I've noticed that I do, and it irks me to no end when I catch myself doing it ... it irks me because it exposes things I need to work on.  I don't always treat others the way I want to be treated.  At times I reach out to people for sympathy, yet I find that I'm rather slow or unwilling at times to be sympathetic towards others.  At times I need to talk to someone, and have them listen to what I'm saying.  It's usually when I'm frustrated and need to vent.  However, I'm not always patient when it comes to listening to others when they need to talk.  I guess you could sum it up and say that at times I'm selfish.  Even inconsiderate.  And now, exposed.  See ... that's why I don't like catching myself acting that way.

Isn't it just like God to give us a verse like the one above to remind us how to treat others?  He does that because He's in the business of changing us.  The Bible says that God is the potter, and we're the clay (Isaiah 64:8); he wants to mold us and shape us, and yes I believe put us in the fire from time to time ... or the desert ... maybe a cave ... a valley here or there.  Or maybe that only happens in my life.