The gospel reading on Sunday was Matthew 20:1-6, the parable of the men who worked in the vineyard. Some worked all day, others did not, but all received the same wages. Those who worked longer grumbled, as might we.
Another reading was Isaiah 55:6-9, in which we are reminded that there is a difference between the way we see things and the way God sees the same things. Because these Scriptures were read together, we might respond to the grumbling workers with the reminder that the owner of the vineyard, like God, doesn’t always think as they expect.
But there’s another important line, in which the landowner asks if the grumbling workers are upset because he is generous. How often we notice and complain when things aren’t happening as we hope and expect, yet ignore and simply not understand when we have been gifted. After all, the parable tells us those who worked the fewest hours were paid first. They may have left before learning what the landowner did for them. Like them, we may sometimes be unaware of how blessed we are.