• Skip to content
  • Skip to secondary navigation
  • Skip to footer

Caryn Rivadeneira

KidLit Writer

Main navigation

  • Home
  • Books
    • Gritty and Graceful
    • Mine! A Counting Book About Sharing
    • It’s Not Fair! A Book about Having Enough
    • The Wrong Shoes: A Book about Money and Self-Esteem
    • Grit and Grace
    • The Story of Noah’s Ark
    • Broke
    • Shades of Mercy
    • Known and Loved
    • Grumble Hallelujah
    • Mama’s Got a Fake I.D
      • Discussion Guide
  • News
  • About
    • Speaking
  • Contact
  • Editorial Services
  • Books For Kids
    • Sparky Helps Mary Make New Friends (Helper Hounds)
    • Penny Helps Portia Face Her Fears (Helper Hounds)
    • Gritty and Graceful
    • Mine! A Counting Book About Sharing
    • It’s Not Fair! A Book about Having Enough
    • The Wrong Shoes: A Book about Money and Self-Esteem
    • Grit and Grace
    • The Story of Noah’s Ark
  • Books For Grown-Ups
    • Known and Loved
    • Broke
    • Grumble Hallelujah
    • Mama’s Got a Fake I.D
    • Shades of Mercy
  • All Books
    • Sparky Helps Mary Make New Friends (Helper Hounds)
    • Penny Helps Portia Face Her Fears (Helper Hounds)
    • Gritty and Graceful
    • Mine! A Counting Book About Sharing
    • It’s Not Fair! A Book about Having Enough
    • The Wrong Shoes: A Book about Money and Self-Esteem
    • Grit and Grace
    • The Story of Noah’s Ark
    • Known and Loved
    • Broke
    • Grumble Hallelujah
    • Shades of Mercy
    • Mama’s Got a Fake I.D
You are here: Home / Book Questions / Glorious Grumbling

Glorious Grumbling

November 9, 2011 by Caryn Leave a Comment

I know myself well enough to do what I did in the last post: to offer a question and sort of imply I’ll answer it soon. Well, a month later, here I am. Though, I must say, the commenters, I believe answered the question well for me.

Tim wrote: “What is a fair definition of “grumbling”? If it’s a spirit of complaining and finding fault, then I would lean toward sayinig grumbling is sinful. If it is wrestling with difficulties and giving voice to those frustrations while acknowledging complete reliance on God in all circumstances, then I’d say not. But how do you mean the word to be understood, Caryn?”

I say: Exactly. When grumbling is a spirit–a lifestyle–of complaining and finding fault and seeing the bad in everything, yes, sin. When it’s a tone of voice, a giving voice to disappointments, fears, frustrations laid before God while acknowledging that reliance, that’s potentially holy territory. That’s the grumbling I mean. That’s what I think maybe Jesus did.

Lynnette offered two definitions of to grumble:

1. to utter (complaints) in a nagging or discontented way
2. ( intr ) to make low dull rumbling sounds

Then she wrote: “Jesus never grumbled if you use definition #1. I certainly can imagine Jesus grumbling as definition #2 before He cleansed the temple, as He encountered Pharisees who refused to see the Truth, and even in the garden as He prepared for what was to come.

“I can say with certainty that Jesus never grumbled as definition #1.

“Between the two definitions there is a fine line and a vast difference.”

I say: Yes! Fine line and vast difference. Love that. Again, the grumbling of which I speak is more sound, more ache, more growl from the heart and soul than a life of being one who shuffles around every day looking for the bad in the world, never seeing the God or acknowledging the God behind it all.

Let’s leave off with a lovely grumble from the Psalms: “My sacrifice, O God, is a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart you, God, will not despise.”–Psalm 51:17

Filed Under: Book Questions, Grumbling, Life Tagged With: featured

Reader Interactions

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Footer

Subscribe to My Newsletter!

RSS Of Feathers and Fangs

  • 'What’s With All The Book Bans?' April 7, 2025
    Or, Why The Tyrannical Right Is So Scared of BOOks
    Caryn Rivadeneira
  • Conviction in the Time of Rump* February 21, 2025
    Or, Thanks to the Conservatives with Backbone
    Caryn Rivadeneira

Follow Me

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • RSS
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

Editorial Services

Proud Member of

A member of Ink Creative Collective

Book Awards

Upcoming Events

© 2025 Caryn Rivadeneira · Website Site Development by Big Ocean Studios