Squeaking Wheels

Today, because my two-year-old sister seems to have a very bad case of food poisoning(she's thrown up, since last night, approximately every 1/2 hour, the interlude becoming wider as of late), I have been reminded about giving thanks in everything, as 1 Thessalonians 5 reminds us. Oh, and about complaining. I have no reason to complain about anything-about the fact that we still don't have a home of our own after seven/eight months of living with our grandparents, about the fact that my sister's sick, about the fact of anything- because Jesus suffered SO much more. I have no reason to complain. It's ridiculous, really, complaining. Today, during our family church service(we couldn't attend church because of my sister), I spoke on complaining. Basically, when we complain, we're saying, "God, you're not doing a good enough job." or "Everything You've done for me? Isn't any good." I read a quote saying,

"The squeaking wheel doesn't always get the grease. Sometimes it gets replaced."

I wouldn't want to ride a horse that, with every step it took, with every place I directed it to, let out a loud complaint and whined and grumbled. I wouldn't! That horse would be succumbed to discipline, and un-use for quite some time. In the same way, why would God want to use me, or someone else, if I(or that other person) am complaining about every step I take, or every where God takes me?
I read in The Case for Faith by Lee Strobel this story, which I'll put into my own words:
Compare God and us to a human and a bear. You'll agree with me that the difference between God and us is much greater than the difference between a human and a bear. Say this human comes upon a bear one day in a forest, and the bear is stuck in a trap. To free the bear and save its life, the human has to inflict pain upon the bear- has to push him deeper into the trap, has to perhaps even sever a limb. All through these trials, the bear hates the human. Why is he being so cruel? Whatever for am I being inflicted? He doesn't realize, however, the outcome of the pain. But the human does.
Think of it this way: God sees from above and we see from the road ahead, dimly, with limited vision. God sees the big picture, say, and He knows what the outcome will be!
It's as if we are driving down a winding road that never seems to end, and we are tempted to turn back. But someone, whom we are on the cell-phone with, who has already travelled this road and is waiting at the end of it for us, keeps telling us, "No, no, keep going!" because he knows that five minutes down the road from where you are is the destination. We cannot despair and complain when tempests and trials come, because it is all part of God's great plan for our lives, and my friends, frankly, it is nothing compared to what Jesus suffered for us.
Complaining drags people down. When one complains about others to others, it is gossip. When one complains about God to others, it is endangering to the others' faith- because they could hear the complaints and think, Why is God doing this? I thought He was good! and could very well lose their trust in Him.
When we don't complain, and give thanks to Him in everything, we are trusting that God knows what He's doing! To not trust Him is an insult, as my brother pointed out while he shared this morning.
My brother told the illustration of a giant. This giant is strong, powerful, and has killed many enemies. If he was at your side protecting you and enemies came, you would no doubt trust him. But you could only trust him if you knew his character. The better our relationship with God, the better our trust in Him. If we don't trust Him, we doubt His promises to guide us, lead us, protect us, save us.
Let's not doubt His character! Let's give thanks in everything, because we know that all things work together for good.
God bless!