Discussion Jumpstarter
Study leader reference - not a definitive answer
Question 7
William Law says every complaint “necessarily supposes” denying God’s wisdom or goodness, and George MacDonald describes the “careless soul” as blaming someone when disappointed but giving no thanks for good. When you examine your own most frequent complaints, what view of God (explicit or implicit) is actually being expressed in those moments?
Another way to ask: When you complain most often, what are you really saying about God’s goodness or wisdom in that moment? What does that show about what you believe deep down?
Discussion Jumpstarter
Direct Answer
Based on the speaker’s use of William Law and his own framing, our frequent complaints usually reveal an implicit belief that God is not wise, not good, or not governing our lives for our best. Even if we never say it out loud, grumbling communicates distrust and self-focus rather than faith and gratitude.
- The speaker’s core claim: grumbling tells God “He doesn’t have the best for me… He doesn’t know what he’s doing.”
- William Law: when you murmur at God’s providence you are “denying either the wisdom or goodness of God… For every complaint necessarily supposes this.”
- William Law again: people “find fault with such things as have only God for their cause,” including “seasons, and weather.”
- George MacDonald’s description: the careless soul gives “no thanks” for good, but at disappointments “he grumbles… There must be someone to blame.”
- The speaker interprets grumbling as “a lack of faith… focuses on us getting what we want, how we want it, when we want it,” calling it “a very selfish… sin.”