A Right to Complain

“If my misery could be weighed and my troubles put on the scales, they would outweigh all the sands of the sea. That is why I spoke impulsively… Don’t I have a right to complain? Don’t wild donkeys bray when they find no grass, and oxen bellow when they have no food? … At least I can take comfort in this: Despite the pain, I have not denied the words of the Holy One.” Job 6:2,3,5,10

Just when we thought things couldn’t get worse… January 6th, 2021 said “Hold my beer.” For those that don’t know, I’m a Georgia resident, and while the rest of the country was able to take a break from election business my lovely Peach State had to keep the momentum going for a round of runoff elections to decide not only would the state flip from Red to Blue, or who our Senators would be… but the entire country was watching as these Senate seats would determine who would be in control. Talk about pressure. So I’m not here to say what my political affiliation is or to down anyone else’s. But one thing I’m sure of across the board is that Red, Blue or polka dotted… we Georgia voters were ready for it to be done. Ready for our mailboxes to stop filling up, our phones to stop ringing, and the country’s gaze to drift elsewhere so we could get back to the business of things. Besides, no matter the outcome, the presidency had already been decided and inauguration plans were a go.

So, I was elated for a number of reasons when the results came in. First, it was over! Second, people who looked like me were making history. Third, a change was coming! And even though things haven’t been great and aren’t the greatest, I felt a sense of hope rising in this country. Then January 6th. The Capitol was under siege. The world as we know it as American citizens was turning on it’s axis as the people, unhappy with the decision of the voters, took to tactics we’d never seen before. I couldn’t take my eyes away from the screen as I stared in horror at what was happening to the country I love and call home. Not to mention the tactics being used (or rather not used) to maintain order. I was devastated. Talk the most Melancholic moment of the year yet.

I should have been celebrating. I should have been relaxing. I should have been in the most Satisfying state of mind, but instead I was compromised and my emotions right along with me. Sadness, Anger, Fear all crept in and tried to take over. And I know I’m not the only one. People across the nation who wanted to be celebrating a shift in our country were instead taking to social media to vehemently express their concerns. For the past several days I have seen post after post after post dripping with Rage, Fear, Sadness, Hope, Desperation, and mostly Melancholy. As my peers expressed themselves you could see them wanting to be happy for Ralph Warnock, the first African American Senator from Georgia. Celebrating Stacey Abrams for proving that the people of Georgia wanted different than the election results we saw two years ago. Waiting hopefully for the inauguration of our 46th President. And not being able to do anything but sit in the knowledge that most of the time people who look like them get treated better than they do… even when they’re storming a federal building. If I didn’t know how to describe Melancholy before, I know have a new reference: January 6, 2021. The year history was made with extreme happiness and horror at the same time. What do we do now?

So I’m going to start by validating your feelings and telling you that whatever you felt, you’re entitled to. Job definitely encountered this and spoke about it often when he went through his turmoil saying “If my misery could be weighed and my troubles put on the scales, they would outweigh all the sands of the sea. That is why I spoke impulsively… Don’t I have a right to complain? Don’t wild donkeys bray when they find no grass, and oxen bellow when they have no food?” (Job 6:2,3,5) He put to words centuries ago what many of us have been feeling. We have a right to complain about what we’re going through. Too often we’re told not to talk about it because talking about it gives it power. I’m here to argue against that. I am a huge advocate of the vent. Vent so that you can get it out of your system and it doesn’t start to consume you. If you let those hard feelings just sit, pressed down, eventually they will explode out of you and could possibly cause you to do worse. Job hints to that as well when he says “At least I can take comfort in this: Despite the pain, I have not denied the words of the Holy One.” (Job 6:10) Complain all you want, just don’t let it separate you from the Promise of God.

God has promised us to always be there for us. When things look good and when they look bad, He will be there, as long as we honor Him. So continue to live your best, right life. Choose the next right thing. Protect your peace. Let the promise of God allow you to move forward through these rough moments to the Joys He has for you on the other side. Love Him, let Him lead you, and you’ll find your silver lining on the other side. And remember, you have the right to feel what you feel, just don’t feel yourself into self destruction.