Blah blah blah

Here's this week's Bible study blog entry for i.ucc:

Blah, blah blah . . .
That’s usually the sound I hear when folks who have so much to be thankful for go into extended complaining mode. At first I hear what the person or group is saying and I try to respond in a gracious and appropriate way. But when the complaining becomes extended – or I think the complaining is unjustified, I struggle to remain gracious and kind in my responses. I have the attitude that extended complaining only serves to irritate others.

I wonder if Moses felt that way when the Israelites, recently delivered from slavery in Egypt, went into extended complaining mode. Of course food was necessary for the congregation, but couldn’t they have whined less?

This week’s Bible reading from Exodus 16:2-15 doesn’t paint a rosy picture of the Israelites as they traveled towards the promised land. Even the question that becomes the name of the flaky substance the Israelites collected each morning has a sound of complaint in it. “What is it?” or “Manna?” reminds me of a picky child looking at some goo on a plate and saying “What is this?” while giving a look that says “Yuck.”

Moses' response to the question I experience as more complaining is one that sounds like a parent’s response to the picky child.

“Eat it.”

What are your feelings as you read this week’s Bible lesson?