Suffering

 

My reading thru Job was timely as 2017 has brought 4 deaths of family members or close friends. 

Some had the hope of heaven and some I don't know. My heart deeply grieves over this more than the deaths. 

Job faced the loss of property and resources but more importantly -10 children.  My momma's heart doesn't even want to go there. He was personally physically tormented. These statesments can't even begin to describe his living hell. 

As I started reading, I loved that his 3 friends traveled far to be WITH him, sat in the floor WITH him for 7 days in silence and were QUIET until he spoke first. As I read on, I realized this is the only thing they would do well in his grief. 

His friends go on to give him advice, condemn him, and call for repentance. They continue to teach him the false gospel that self righteousness, obedience, and repentance = physical prosperity in this life. 

God may choose to bless the morally upright with wealth, health, and prosperity BUT he may not. And that doesn't make Him less God, less good, or less sovereign. That's an easier thing to say than believe. 

Try teaching it to your kids 😜 

The thing I am most blown away with  Job is that as far as I know, God didn't choose to reveal to him the schemes of the devil and spiritual warfare. Job did not have the clear understanding of the gospel, Jesus, heaven and an eternal glory that we have today. 

For him, there was no purpose in his pain. Can you imagine the despair and hopelessness? It almost chokes me thinking about it. 

Suffering is determined by intensity and duration. When I think about my (unintended) natural child birth; I don't see it as suffering. Was it intensely painful? No question. But there was an end and a beautiful physical purpose - my baby. 

I think about Mabel and her suffering in this time on earth. It is long in worldly standards. It will continue intermittently through her childhood and most likely have lifelong repercussions. BUT...

It is temporary. This life will end. The suffering she endures now will produce a greater eternal glory in Heaven for her. I'm jealous of that. 

I will learn to be WITH her in her suffering. I will choose to be WITH grieving friends and family. My gut is to give guidance and help direct emotions but that's not my job. They don't need correction or explanations. They need the hope of the gospel. 

Teaching eternal glory to your child when you're not quite sure of it yourself is challenging. I don't have all the right words and thankfully I don't have to. 

As you continue to pray for Mabel, pray for an unexplainable deep peace and understanding of eternal glory. 

Would we love "successful surgeries"? Yes. 

But those are temporary too.