Hell Begins With A Grumbling Mood

What if God is doing His deepest work in places we want most to avoid?

“Hell begins with a grumbling mood.” — C.S. Lewis

It’s a sobering and jarring thought, isn’t it?

Grumbling feels harmless enough. It usually starts small—a passing complaint about the weather, a sigh over a crowded schedule, quiet frustration with how something turned out. But C.S. Lewis, in his piercing way, suggests that this mood isn’t as innocent or harmless as it seems. Left unchecked, it can quietly grow into something far more damaging.

Grumbling, over time, hardens the heart.

It’s not that life doesn’t give us legitimate reasons to feel frustrated or discouraged. Life is full of disappointments, losses, and unmet expectations. But when we nurse those frustrations, when we let them take up real estate in our hearts and minds, they begin to shape how we see the world—and how we see God.

The slow drift happens quietly. What begins as a bad mood can settle into a habit of negativity. Discontent takes root, and before long, bitterness begins to bloom. Joy fades. Hope feels distant. Our hearts become closed off—less tender, less trusting, less alive.

C.S. Lewis warns of this slow but dangerous progression in The Great Divorce:
"Hell begins with a grumbling mood, always complaining, always blaming others. But you are still distinct from it. You may even criticize it in yourself and wish you could stop it. But there may come a day when you can no longer. Then there will be no you left to criticize the mood or even to enjoy it, but just the grumble itself going on forever like a machine. It’s not a question of God 'sending' us to hell. In each of us, there is something growing, which will BE hell unless it is nipped in the bud."

Lewis is warning us of how easily a complaining spirit can overtake us. What begins as a passing mood can slowly become a permanent state—a habit of heart that grows and isolates us, cutting us off from joy, from others, and from God. Eventually, the grumbling becomes so ingrained that it feels impossible to turn back.

But God, in His kindness, pursues us with a better way.

Gratitude: More Than Positive Thinking

Gratitude isn’t about pretending life is perfect. It’s not putting a happy face over pain or denying that hard things are hard. Rather, gratitude is an intentional turning of the heart toward God’s goodness, even in the midst of life’s messiness. It’s a posture of trust, a quiet acknowledgment that God is still present, still working, and still holding us—even when circumstances give us little reason to feel thankful.

Gratitude isn’t just a positive mindset—it’s a spiritual response to God’s constant goodness and grace.

When we choose to give thanks, even for small and ordinary things, it does something profound to our hearts. Gratitude softens us. It steadies us. It pulls us back from bitterness and resets our perspective. It opens our eyes to see God’s presence not only in the mountaintop moments but also in the valleys, the quiet spaces, and even the seasons of waiting and loss.

This is why Paul could write about the peace of God that “transcends all understanding” while sitting in a prison cell (Philippians 4:6-7). His situation was bleak, but his heart was anchored in gratitude. He knew firsthand that thanksgiving is not tied to comfort or ease—it’s rooted in the unshakable character of God.

The Smallest Thanks Can Change Everything

One of the most meaningful, accessible things about gratitude is that it doesn’t have to be grand or elaborate. It can be as simple as thanking God for breath in your lungs, a quiet sunrise, the kindness of a friend, or the spouse sleeping next to you.

Even the smallest expressions of thanks can turn our hearts back to God.

I’ve found that on the hardest days and seasons, when gratitude feels like the last thing I want to reach for, it’s also the thing I need the most. Not because it changes my circumstances, but because it changes me. It reminds me that God is near. That His goodness is not dependent on how my day, week, month—or life—is going. That even when life feels uncertain, unstable, or unfair, God’s love is steady and sure.

Gratitude grounds us in that truth. It draws us out of ourselves and back to the One who holds all things together.

Noticing God’s Hand in Every Season

The practice of gratitude doesn’t come naturally to most of us. We’re hardwired to notice and name what’s lacking, what’s hard, what’s frustrating. But what if we began to train our eyes to see God’s hand in every part of our lives?

What if we noticed His grace not only in the blessings we expect but also in the interruptions, the delays, the seasons of waiting? What if we thanked God for His goodness not only after we’ve secured a win, but also after we’ve suffered a loss? What if our response to life on life’s sometimes harsh terms was “we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Hm, who have been called according to His purpose” and that nothing in all creation “will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 8:28, 39).

This is not about minimizing pain but about recognizing that God is often doing His deepest work in places we want most to avoid. Gratitude doesn’t erase suffering, but it can keep our hearts soft in the midst of it.

May we become people who notice God’s sovereign, loving hand in every season. People who allow gratitude to shape our hearts and keep them tender, humble, alive to His grace, and expectant of His goodness.

A Daily Practice, Not a One-Time Choice

Gratitude is not a one-time decision—it’s a daily practice. Like any habit worth forming, it requires intentionality.

Maybe it’s pausing each morning to name three things you’re thankful for.
Maybe it’s ending the day by writing down where you sensed God’s presence.
Maybe it’s whispering a quiet “thank you” in the middle of a hard moment.

Small habits like these can begin to shift the posture of our hearts. Over time, they can loosen the grip of negativity and open us up to joy—even in the midst of difficulty.

Gratitude is not about ignoring the hard parts of life; it’s about refusing to let them harden us.

There Is Always Something to Thank Him For

One of the most freeing truths we can hold onto is this: there is always something to thank God for.

Always.

Not because life is always good, but because God is.

Paul didn’t write the Philippians about peace and gratitude from an ivory tower; he wrote those words from a prison cell. His circumstances were grim, yet his heart was anchored in something deeper. He knew that gratitude doesn’t rise and fall with our circumstances—it’s rooted in the steadfast love of God.

This is our invitation too.

To lean into God’s goodness.
To trust that He is near.
To let gratitude soften what grumbling would harden.

A Better Way Forward

So, maybe today is one of those days when frustration feels louder than joy. Maybe your heart feels heavy, and gratitude seems out of reach.

But even now, there’s a way back.
Oh grumbling heart, be still.
You are not at the point of no return.
Repentance and rest await you.

May we become people who notice the good and name it.
May we be quick to thank God for the small and ordinary gifts we so often overlook.
May we let gratitude soften our hearts, steady our souls, and pull us back to the grace that holds us fast.

There is always something to thank Him for.

Even here.
Even now.