And the people complained in the hearing of the LORD about their misfortunes, and when the LORD heard it, his anger was kindled…
Numbers 11:1

The hardships of 400 years of slavery were forgotten! The people seemed only to be aware of the fact that they were tired of the “misfortune” of eating manna—the food God miraculously supplied for them every morning.

Life is filled with hardships. Some are severe, but at least in our context, most are relatively mild. When I say relatively, I mean two things. Most of our hardships are relatively mild compared with the relatively few severe hardships we encounter. Our hardships are relatively mild compared to the severe hardships experienced by many around the world.

To be less prone to complain to the Lord about our “misfortunes,” let us be intentional to:

Remember how infrequently most of us suffer compared to our otherwise relatively comfortable lives.
Remember how even when we do suffer hardships they are relatively mild compared to the truly severe hardships we sometimes must endure.
Remember how our suffering is relatively mild compared to the sufferings of so many around the world.
Remember that even when we do suffer, God is in control, He loves us, and He will never leave nor forsake us!

And let us remember how complaining offends the Lord