Grumbling & Complaining Lead to Self-Destruction (Saint Paisios of the Holy Mountain)

— Geronda, where does grumbling begin and how can you avoid it?

- Murmuring is caused by a feeling of one’s own misfortune, and it can be driven away by praising [God]. Murmuring gives rise to murmuring, and glorification gives birth to glorification. If a person, having encountered difficulties, does not complain, but praises God, then the devil bursts [with anger] and goes to someone else - to the one who complains, in order to cause him even greater trouble. After all, the more a person grumbles, the more he destroys himself. 

Sometimes we are robbed and taught not to be happy with anything, even though everything that happens to us can be met with spiritual joy and praise and have the blessing of God. I know one monk on the Holy Mountain. If it starts to rain and you tell him: “It’s raining again,” then he begins: “Yes, it’s pouring and pouring. We will soon rot from this dampness." If the rain stops soon and you tell him: “The rain has passed,” then he will answer: “Yes, is it rain? From such rains everything will dry out..." It cannot be said that this man is not right in the head. No. He is just used to complaining. The man is of sound mind, but thinks like a madman!

There is a curse in murmuring. That is, a person who grumbles is the same as cursing himself, and then the wrath of God comes to him. In Epirus I knew two peasants. One had a family, two small plots of land, and he trusted everything to God. He worked as much as he could without tormenting himself with mental anxiety. “Whatever I have time to do, I will have time to do,” he said.

Sometimes he did not have time to remove the hay and it rotted in the rain, and sometimes the haystacks were scattered by the wind, but he said: “Glory to you, God,” and everything went well for him. Another had a lot of land, cows and the like. He had no children. If you asked this person, “How are you doing?” - then he answered: “What’s going on there, it’s better not to ask.” He never said: “Glory to Thee, O God,” but he kept grumbling and grumbling. And just look: then his cow died, then some other unpleasant incident happened to him, then something else... This man had everything, but he did not succeed.

That’s why I say that doxology is a great thing. God gives us blessings, but whether we taste them or not is up to us. However, how will we taste them if God gives us, for example, a banana, and we begin to think about a more delicious dish that some millionaire eats? Do you know how many people, eating one stale cracker, praise God day and night and feed on heavenly sweetness!

These people acquire spiritual sensitivity and understand when the hand of God begins to caress them. But we don’t understand this, because our hearts are greasy and nothing satisfies us. We do not understand that happiness lies in what has to do with eternity, and not with vanity.