more on my man Job..

As I continue reading Job, there seem to be just short verses that catch my eye. This time it was in the second chapter, the 9th and 10th verses.

"His wife said to him, 'Are you still holding on to your integrity? Curse God and die!' He replied, 'You are talking like a foolish woman. Shall we accept good from God, and not trouble?'"

These two verses are incredible. Not only am I amazed at Job's response, but I have to admit that I feel for this woman as well. I can't imagine being the mom of a household that has been blessed and within what seemed like a split second it was entirely gone. I have to believe that most of our reactions would be in line with hers. "Are you serious? Are you really trying to stay faithful when the Lord just allowed the most intense and inconsolable pain to enter into the depths of your life and soul?" I have to admit that even though I look down on this woman as I first study the book of Job, that she is a lot more like the common Joe of our day. Giving up on God the minute he takes away the smooth sailing of life. Sometimes I wonder what would happen if churches today would start preaching the Truth. If churches today would start letting people know that life is NOT going to be a breeze and that we are supposed to REJOICE in our sufferings. I wonder..

Looking past Job's wife, his response might be one of the most wise and profound verses in the Bible. (In my opinion.) In fact, this verse is what I have been struggling with for the past week. I have been trying to learn that this heart break is something that I need to accept because I want to be the kind of Christian that loves the Lord on good and bad days. I want to be a woman that understands that there is more to life than what I can see and feel...that there really is a greater work going on and I should be rejoicing in the fact that I get to be a part of it.
I also love the way that Job phrases his response to his wife. He makes it sound so logical; so basic. He makes it seem like it is a part of our Christian faith that should come naturally to each and every one of us. Where in the Bible does God promise us an EASY life? Where in the Bible does God promise us NO PAIN? I don't think so! Paul says that to live is Christ and to DIE is gain. The Bible says that we should rejoice in our sufferings because they produce perseverance, character, and hope.

I love Job. I love that he went through a time in his life that could not have gotten much worse and never sinned against God. Job proves that it can be done. Job proves that this kind of life can exist. This is why I keep hoping that I will become a little more like Job every day. I want to get to the point where my soul is thankful for trials because it means that the Devil knows I'm a threat. I want to get to the point where I can live my life in a way that understands that it is my duty to not just accept good from the Lord but also trouble.