Misunderstanding pain

In chapters 4-5 from the book of Job, one of the friends named Eliphaz who had been seated with him responds to Job's rant about not wanting to ever been born.

For the entire two chapters, Eliphaz starts by asking Job to be patient while he speaks.  Then, he goes on and on about how Job has been a rock when others have failed, that he has always supported others when they have been down.

So why the long face now?

It's easy for one who has not experienced pain to preach to them, telling them to keep their chin high.  Ever since my late wife was diagnosed with leukemia and had lost much of her eyesight by October 2011, she has experienced more pain than anyone I had ever personally known.  I saw the pain up front.  Not once did I tell her to keep her chin high.  I comforted her, cherished her, loved her.

I'm not saying what Eliphaz did was wrong.  He just misunderstood Job's pain.  It isn't until the 8th verse in chapter 5 that he finally says: "If I were you, I would go to God and present my case to him."  He goes on saying that God does great things too marvelous to understand, countless miracles, gives prosperity to the poor, and even protects those who suffer.

Pray to God.  That is what my late wife and I did.  We prayed.  We prayed for her to be healed, day after day.  In the end, she was finally released from the pain when she went to Heaven.  Honestly, it wasn't the outcome we were hoping for.  But we also had faith that our lives were in God's Loving Hands.  He knew best.

Job curses his birthday

I'll be honest, I stopped celebrating my birthday long ago.  Others did it for me, but I was never one for forcing people to come together to celebrate the day of my birth.  It's okay if you do.  This is my personal opinion for my own birthday.

Job, continuing in the third chapter, not only finally curses the day he was born, he wants that day completely obliterated off the calendar.  He even goes on and on about wishing he was still born, that having died at birth would be his only relief right now.

There is no doubt that Job is in great pain.  My late wife Melissa endured great pain for quite a number of years.  But not once did not want to stop fighting.  Even as her last breath eased closer and closer, she fought harder than the mightiest general.

But Job did not want to fight.  He wanted to give up.  True, he did not curse the Lord, but at the same time he did not wish to even been born so that the pain he endured could be eased.

Pain can be unbearable at times.  But trust in the Lord that pain is only temporary.  Eternal life in Heaven is the greatest gift God could ever give us.  Focus on that gift.  My wife understood that and His perfect timing brought her into Jesus's Arms on January 16, 2020 at 10:45am.

Inheritance

I lost my wife in January 2020.  She was my best friend, the one and only person in the world I could literally tell anything to.  We loved spending time together, and I cherished every moment, to the best of my ability.

I cannot say that her parents are wealthy, but they have done well for themselves.  I get along with them greatly.  But there has been a word tossed around in the past month or so that has caused me to pause.  Inheritance.

I know no one is obligated to give their children a portion of everything, and my wife had two siblings.  It was disheartening when the talk came that with my wife's passing I would not be getting anything--I don't want to come across as selfish, and who knows if the Lord has another female companion for me down the line.  But still, I felt like I was losing my wife all over again.  Besides, the talk seemed to go that the grandchildren would get the bulk of any inheritance, not even her siblings.  But as they are in their mid-sixties, they could very well be around for a few more decades.

That being said, I am reminded that no matter the circumstances, we have the greatest inheritance of all: eternal life in Heaven.  We cannot bring any of our earthly possessions into Heaven with us.  But the sacrifice that Jesus made for us by dying on the Cross, He secured the greatest inheritance any of us could ever want.

Job and grief

In the book of Job, chapter two, Satan once again appeared to the Lord.  God praised his servant Job for keeping his faith even in the face of great hardship.

But Satan said that if his health was affected, Job would indeed curse the Lord.

The Lord then said Satan could do with him as he pleased, but he had to spare his life.

Job was then inflicted with horrible boils from head to foot.  He was so deformed that even his three closest friends didn't recognize him.

Then the three friends sat with him, grieving Job's failing health, for seven days and nights in complete silence, as they saw his suffering was too great.

Grief is interesting and everyone handles it differently.  As you see in this chapter, Job's three friends did not know what to do for him, so they sat in silence.  Sometimes people closest to you (if you have suffered a great loss) may not know how to react and may sit in silence, not knowing what to say.  There are times when saying nothing but just being a friend is enough.  Having lost a wife earlier this year, I know a thing or two about grief.  I've seen people stumble around for the right words, and when I recognize this I tell them that it's okay, and I may even share something special about the love of my life.  I can see the relief on their face when I do.

Have mercy on those who are trying to console you, if you have suffered a loss.  Many may not know how to react.  Take a lesson from Job and just be with them, share time together.

Jesus, the Great Disrupter

Think back for a moment how the political landscape in the United States has been disrupted these past four-plus years.  Terms like "drain the swamp" are now part of our daily lexicon.

In 1999, Jesse Ventura became governor of Minnesota, disrupting the state's politics.  Not as a Republican or Democrat, but a mixture of the two.

In Jesus's times, the religious leaders had a stronghold on daily life.  They were in power.  They were in control.  Jesus came to disrupt that with phrases like "love thy neighbor and your enemy" and "I am."

And they hated Him for it.

They hated Him enough to kill Him.

But Jesus won.  He drained the religious swamp, so to speak.  And still continues to do so to this day and beyond.

Martin Luther disrupted the Catholic Church with his 95 Theses in 1517.

God sets things in motion for a reason.  None of us may know what that reason is, but if we trust in the Lord, and have the utmost faith in Him, He will set us on the path that we need to.  Why did my wife have to die in January of this year?  I don't know.  But the legacy that her and I built together will continue to charge forward, no matter what that path looks like.

Because I have faithful trust in God.

How will the Lord Almighty cause a disruption in your life?

All of life's problems can be answered with Jesus

I am a consumer of true crime stories, and there have been more times than I care to count where I shake my head at what happened, what drove someone down the evil path, when the simple solution was to surrender their life to the Lord.  Let Jesus into your heart.

Because Jesus in your heart can heal all, and solve all, of life's problems.

Sure, it may not end up being exactly how you pray it to be, but with our Lord being the awesome God and Heavenly Father that He is, He knows what is best for us.  Do you think I planned on having my wife pass away January this year?  Certainly not.  But there was a reason for it.  And I am going to use the legacy of our time together, of our love for each other, to help others.

If you find yourself struggling, let Jesus into your heart.  You'll be amazed at what He can do for you.