He gives....and takes away.
"Naked I came from my mother's womb,
and naked I will depart.
The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away;
may the name of the Lord be praised."
and naked I will depart.
The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away;
may the name of the Lord be praised."
Job 1:21
Job had perspective. Not only was he considered the greatest man in all the East (v.3), but was blameless, upright and feared the Lord (v. 1). At the same time, Job owned a lot of stuff and was extremely blessed with family and friends (v.2). From my perspective, Job had pretty good grounds for a prideful heart and a humanistic worldview.
I too own a lot of stuff and am extremely blessed with family and friends. Unlike Job, I tend to let pride abound and can take credit for much of the success in my life. To live an upright life, I constantly have to reprogram my selfish thoughts. Did Job have to do the same? I wonder how Job came into such perspective.
On days like today, I get a glimpse of the wisdom of Job. This morning, very early, I received two phone calls. One about my great-aunt, Nina. Another about my sister-in-law, Stephanie.
My great-aunt Nina was much like a grandmother to me. I grew up just down the road from her. She was married to my Grandpa's brother, and they never had children. By the time I came along, she and her husband were set on spoiling us! (Yay me!). The barn between our houses became known as "Herman's barn." My Uncle, Herman, had created an indoor playground with swings, basketball goals and a trampoline with a carefully constructed deck for observation (or, if you were skillful enough, to teeter on the top rails and use them as jumping platforms). The barn was always cool in the summer and warm in the winter. How many hours did I spend there with my siblings? The neighbor kids would come too....Herman's Barn was our "sweet spot." If that wasn't enough, we spent a lot of time over at their house. Nina always prepared a feast for lunch and taught us how to play "Button, button."
Today, Nina passed away. She not been herself for almost a decade and was very, very sick at the end. We went to visit her, so frail and weighing less than 60 pounds. "Yes, Lord, please take her!" This has been my prayer. And he has. The name of the Lord be praised!
My sister-in-law, Stephanie, found out last summer that she would be having a second child. (Which was perfect because she had wanted two kids.) Well, in the fall she checked in for a doctor's visit and shared with her physician that she had been feeling extra big and wondered if, by some chance, she could be having twins. Well, the doctor had time that afternoon to do an ultrasound and right away confirmed Steph's notion that she was in fact having twins! The news was exciting to Steph and confirmed what she had been feeling. At the visit, the doctor measured the babies and while measuring made an extraordinary discovery. Steph was not having twins...she was having triplets!
And so, my sister-in-law has been a walking miracle for several months now. About that phone call, wouldn't you know it, today those babies were born! Three beautiful, healthy (little, but healthy) babies! New life holds such promise, and the new life that three infants represent is enough promise for a long time. The name of the Lord be praised!
"Naked I came from my mother's womb and naked I will depart." Wow, isn't that the truth. Today, this perspective is more real than ever. God does give (and give and give), but there are times that He takes away. Not because he wants to hurt me, not because He needs it....perhaps to remind me to keep the main thing, the main thing. That all my stuff and all I am will be nothing someday. The only thing that counts is my heart. My prideful selfish heart.
Today I also heard a definition of faith that shed new light in my not so glamorous position (as a person with a lot of stuff and not much heart). Faith, this definition said, is the deliberate confidence in the character of God. I can do that today. I can place my confidence in the God I know. Today, my faith makes my imperfect heart whole in His eyes because of the sacrifice of Jesus on the Cross. I think perspective can grow from that. The Bible makes it clear that Job had great confidence in the character of God.
I do too.
Job had perspective. Not only was he considered the greatest man in all the East (v.3), but was blameless, upright and feared the Lord (v. 1). At the same time, Job owned a lot of stuff and was extremely blessed with family and friends (v.2). From my perspective, Job had pretty good grounds for a prideful heart and a humanistic worldview.
I too own a lot of stuff and am extremely blessed with family and friends. Unlike Job, I tend to let pride abound and can take credit for much of the success in my life. To live an upright life, I constantly have to reprogram my selfish thoughts. Did Job have to do the same? I wonder how Job came into such perspective.
On days like today, I get a glimpse of the wisdom of Job. This morning, very early, I received two phone calls. One about my great-aunt, Nina. Another about my sister-in-law, Stephanie.
My great-aunt Nina was much like a grandmother to me. I grew up just down the road from her. She was married to my Grandpa's brother, and they never had children. By the time I came along, she and her husband were set on spoiling us! (Yay me!). The barn between our houses became known as "Herman's barn." My Uncle, Herman, had created an indoor playground with swings, basketball goals and a trampoline with a carefully constructed deck for observation (or, if you were skillful enough, to teeter on the top rails and use them as jumping platforms). The barn was always cool in the summer and warm in the winter. How many hours did I spend there with my siblings? The neighbor kids would come too....Herman's Barn was our "sweet spot." If that wasn't enough, we spent a lot of time over at their house. Nina always prepared a feast for lunch and taught us how to play "Button, button."
Today, Nina passed away. She not been herself for almost a decade and was very, very sick at the end. We went to visit her, so frail and weighing less than 60 pounds. "Yes, Lord, please take her!" This has been my prayer. And he has. The name of the Lord be praised!
My sister-in-law, Stephanie, found out last summer that she would be having a second child. (Which was perfect because she had wanted two kids.) Well, in the fall she checked in for a doctor's visit and shared with her physician that she had been feeling extra big and wondered if, by some chance, she could be having twins. Well, the doctor had time that afternoon to do an ultrasound and right away confirmed Steph's notion that she was in fact having twins! The news was exciting to Steph and confirmed what she had been feeling. At the visit, the doctor measured the babies and while measuring made an extraordinary discovery. Steph was not having twins...she was having triplets!
And so, my sister-in-law has been a walking miracle for several months now. About that phone call, wouldn't you know it, today those babies were born! Three beautiful, healthy (little, but healthy) babies! New life holds such promise, and the new life that three infants represent is enough promise for a long time. The name of the Lord be praised!
"Naked I came from my mother's womb and naked I will depart." Wow, isn't that the truth. Today, this perspective is more real than ever. God does give (and give and give), but there are times that He takes away. Not because he wants to hurt me, not because He needs it....perhaps to remind me to keep the main thing, the main thing. That all my stuff and all I am will be nothing someday. The only thing that counts is my heart. My prideful selfish heart.
Today I also heard a definition of faith that shed new light in my not so glamorous position (as a person with a lot of stuff and not much heart). Faith, this definition said, is the deliberate confidence in the character of God. I can do that today. I can place my confidence in the God I know. Today, my faith makes my imperfect heart whole in His eyes because of the sacrifice of Jesus on the Cross. I think perspective can grow from that. The Bible makes it clear that Job had great confidence in the character of God.
I do too.
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