I have a painted wooden heart hanging on a shelf that my brother made me years ago. The verse on the heart reads: Thou Shalt Not Whine.

This morning my teeth have been set on edge by children’s whining. I tried to stay patient as I repeated for the 3,486th time, “I don’t understand whining. Please talk in your big girl (or big boy) voice.” Since I had to say it over and over again, they obviously didn’t get it.

Why do we whine? Because we want our own way in our circumstances. Children whine because they may not understand how to express themselves fully, or they’ve seen how well it worked in the past, or they have a need that needs to be met.

Grown-ups whine for the same reasons, but we know better.

Since I’ve returned from the ACFW conference, I’ve been doing a lot more whining. I was so on fire to rip apart my novel, revise it, and send the book proposals to the editor and agents who requested it.

Uh, yeah.

Life has a way of getting in the way of doing what we want, so we whine. Taking off four days through off my homework schedule. I hate falling behind, but that’s what I’ve done. It has taken more than a week to get back on track, but I think I’m finally there.

Instead of whining, I need to be thankful for opportunities God has provided for me. Yes, going to the conference was fantastic, but I knew I wouldn’t have time to devote to writing until this semeseter ends. I am so thankful for the opportunity to return to school to obtain my degree. I’m so thankful for having a job when our economy is in financial turmoil. I’m so thankful to have a wonderful husband and two great teenage boys. I’m so thankful for what I have that I simply need to declare a no whine zone so I can shine like a star in a dark night.

Do everything without complaining or arguing, so that you may become blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a crooked and depraved generation, in which you shine like stars in the universe as you hold out the word of life—in order that I may boast on the day of Christ that I did not run or labor for nothing. Philippians 2:14-16 NIV