I have a small wood plaque on my kitchen wall. It says, “Hier wird nicht gemeckert,” German for “No whining here,” above an image of a funny goat. It reminds me that whining did not exist in my home when I grew up, and is still not well tolerated in my kitchen, or any other room for that matter. Whining never helps the situation and pretty much only serves to annoy others.
“Faire et se taire,” a phrase attributed to Flaubert means “Do it and be silent.” That’s the polite version. It has been alternately translated as “Shut up and get on with it.” The implication is that there is no way to get around hard work and whining about it doesn’t change a thing. Every biography I have read about prime movers and shakers, regardless of the field of endeavor, reveals a hard working individual whose persistence caused them to achieve their goals. That’s why biographies sell. They inspire readers because those powerful stories highlight people who overcome great odds. These stories give hope to readers that they can also overcome their obstacles.
An old adage says that if you do what you love, you’ll never work a day. I disagree. You will probably work even harder at it because you love it, but hard work is not necessarily a burden. Doing what you hate is. So the way to lighten your burden is to find out what you love. If you work at your passion, you still have to work hard, but it is not burdensome because doing it provides the satisfaction.
Sometimes we end up doing tasks we really don’t like but somebody has to do it, and we agree out of a variety of feelings that have nothing to do with calling and purpose—a favor to someone, personal guilt, wanting to appear a team player, feeling trapped. That works for a while as a temporary fill-in, but for the long haul, it’s not a good idea. Here is where the whining comes in—complaining about lack of support, lack of help, lack of resources, incompetent co-workers, and the list continues. We’ve all heard it and probably even did it at some point. What is even worse is that the longer we persist in doing what we are not called to do, the longer we keep the right person from doing it.
The funny thing is that when you do work at whatever is your passion, you put up with the same shortcomings along the way, and even greater ones, but you find a way to overcome them for the sake of the vision. You appreciate small successes and it sparks renewed motivation to press on to more.
The same principle applies to our relationships in the Kingdom. Each of us has a purpose. God has a perfect plan with the people, places, and things. “For I know the plans that I have for you,’ declares the Lord, ‘plans for welfare and not for calamity to give you a future and a hope. Then you will call upon Me and come and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. You will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart (Jer. 29:11). The context for this is for Israel, but why would God not have a plan or purpose for each of us as well? He is omniscient (all knowing) and we can rely upon His goodness and faithfulness. As we seek Him for direction, our heart’s desire is revealed. Our passion for the callings of God keeps us pressing on in the face of opposition. No whining is allowed in this territory. Hier wird nicht gemeckert!