Oh, Waaah!

One of my friends often responds to people’s complaints—especially to her husband’s—by sarcastically saying, “Oh, waaah!” Her meaning is clear: Stop your whining. I always enjoy this because it succinctly sums up my own feelings. I usually try to explain the situation to whiny people—like they’re going to listen. My friend’s, “Oh, waaah!” makes them see that they are whining. My explanations typically give them something else to whine about.

It’s amazing to me to how often people whine about matters beyond their control. They also whine about things that are within their control but it’s evidently easier or more enjoyable to whine than to fix the problem.

Why won’t somebody do something about the price of gas? Oh, waaah!

Why did he get promoted and I got passed over? Waaah!

It’s so hot; when are we going to get some relief? Waaah!

My house is a mess. I just can’t get a handle on it. Waaah!

Why can’t my kids behave? Waaah!

I never have time to do the things I want to do. Waaah!

When is the government going to do something for me? Waaah!

And thank the Lord that people’s incentive checks have about all arrived. Waaah, waaah, waaah! …waaah, waaah!

Most of us don’t know what hard times are and even if we did, whining is never the answer. When the Hebrews were freed from their enslavement to Pharaoh, they whined to Moses about not having that fancy Egyptian food to eat anymore. (Num 11:5) The parable of the laborers in the vineyard tells of people who whined about getting paid less than someone else or having to work more than others. (Mt 20:1-16)

Philippians 2:14-18 instructs us to “do all things without grumbling.” Jude 14-16 warns that complainers will be judged by the righteous. This is because all will be judged by the standard of the one who never complained—as the old spiritual testifies:

They crucified my Lord,
And he never said a mumblin’ word.
They crucified my Lord,
And he never said a mumblin’ word.
Not a word, not a word, my Lord,

They nailed him to a tree
And he never said a mumblin’ word.
They nailed him to a tree
And he never said a mumblin’ word.
Not a word, not a word,

They pierced him in the side,
And he never said a mumblin’ word.
They pierced him in the side,
And he never said a mumblin’ word.
Not a word, not a word, my Lord.

Our response should never be whining, complaining, grumbling, or mumbling. Our reply to any and every thing should be Habakkuk’s answer. Everything could go wrong for that prophet and his rejoinder would remain the same. If there is no produce to be had in the grocery…no canned goods either…no meat at the butcher…if the restaurants are closed…the fridges and freezers empty…Habakkuk reminds us that we are to take no joy in things. His joy was in God alone. Instead of whining, Habakkuk praised God. Habakkuk turns waaah into hallelujah!

Maybe he learned something from old Job that made his feet steady in uncertain times. Or perhaps Habakkuk simply had a wife who said, “Oh, waaah” enough to get his attitude right.

Though the fig tree should not blossom,
nor fruit be on the vines,
the produce of the olive fail
and the fields yield no food,
the flock be cut off from the fold
and there be no herd in the stalls,
yet I will rejoice in the Lord;
I will take joy in the God of my salvation.
God, the Lord, is my strength;
he makes my feet like the deer’s;
he makes me tread on my high places. (Habakkuk 3:17-19 ESV)