In Everything

I have very few, distinct memories from when I was little. Since having my daughter, I am lucky if I can remember what I had the night before for dinner. But there are still some moments that I am able to recall because I treasure them. 

One in particular is with my dad when I was little. He used to sit with me at the dining room table reading the Bible. I would sit on his lap every night and he would read a chapter to me. I’m sure he read many different Bible stories to me but I only remember one: Job. This memory popped in my head again recently so I started listening to the audio version of Job every morning on my way to work. It was a humbling experience and I’d like to tell you why. 

_________

Job’s story got me thinking about all of the times I have complained. I’ve complained about chores. I’ve complained about work. I’ve complained about the weather. I’ve complained about tv. I’ve complained about music. I’ve complained about friends and family. 

The point is I’ve complained a lot. 

But what do I really have to complain about? 

Job lost everything.

He lost all of his property.

He lost his livelihood. 

He lost every one of his children. 

He lost his health. 

His own wife told him to curse God and die. 

“In all this Job did not sin or charge God with wrong.”

Job 1:22

All this suffering, yet his faith remained. 

Job was given every reason to question God’s love and mercy. He was given more than any normal person would be able to bear. But still he maintained his integrity by trusting God’s wisdom over His own suffering, calling out, “Blessed be the name of the Lord.”

I’ve experienced a lot in my life: loss, heartbreak, depression. But I have never experienced anything like what Job went through. And yet I continue to complain. Just last week I wrote a blog about counting my blessings. Yet I still complain. I think it’s safe to say that God is trying to tell me something. 

God commands us in 1 Thessalonians 5:18 to “give thanks in all circumstances.” I am a firm believer that God does not ask us to dismiss the things in our life that frustrate or distress us. He just wants us to realize we have more to be thankful for, to be grateful for the place that we are in and for the knowledge that He is going to bring us through it. 

I didn’t listen to God talking the first time, but I’d like to think I’m listening now.