Whining to Jesus
A patient of mine called me to tell me she was going to call in to a talk radio show to whine to the host “Jesus Christ” AM640 in Los Angeles and complain about her life and asked me my opinion about that. She whines about her life to everyone within cell phone radius. Occasionally she talks a poll on how miserable her life is and how devastating all this emotional angst is in her life. I’m no longer her treating psychologist. I’m the back-up. I’m not the only back-up person either. There are at least two other back-up people. This woman does not lack for support. She also has a pretty good life, all things considered. So when she asked me about getting the Almighty involved in this whining I was bemused.
A mental image from Mel Gibson’s “The Passion of the Christ” flashed in my mind. I knew she had seen the movie. So I asked her to recall the scene in which Christ was being beaten. She did. I asked her to think about it for a moment. I then asked her to recall he graphic image of the crucifixion. She did that too. So then I asked her what exactly did she intend to whine about to THAT GUY who had been through all that, about her life? She stopped completely speechless. “Well when you put it like that.” She said.
It’s about perspective. People have emotional and physical pain. Some have good reason to complain. Others just whine. They whine for every little physical and emotional “owie” in their lives. It’s these difficulties that make people stronger, that develop character, that people hold up as grace under pressure. Too many people want to do away with all the difficulties in life as too big of a demand, too big of a struggle, too big of a problem. They describe things as insurmountable or catastrophic. But from another perspective they are little owies.
I saw a person in pain. The physical pain should have been appropriately handled by an over-the-counter pain killer like tylenol or advil. The person was prescribed morphine. Morphine. So I asked why. I explained that if they get any real pain, like pain from bone cancer, or nerve disease (both of which were in their family) they would have no available pain tolerance, and no available pain medication. “Well, when you put it like that”…
I don’t doubt the physical or emotional pain. It can be quite raw at times. It can be brutal. It helps to get a different perspective. It helps to get outside yourself. It helps to do things for other people and not stay so self-indulgent.
What would Jesus say? I don’t know or sure. I told her she could call him and ask, but be prepared to have him say “Suck it up and get on with your life and stop whining.”
