ART & POETRY BY PAUL & KATHY BOECHER
Have you ever felt like a frog sitting in a hot frying pan? The heat is rising and you’re slowly succumbing to the effects. You’ve tried to get out, but you’re stuck. It may be the loss of a job. You may be facing a diagnosis of Cancer. The debts are piling up and you have no means to cover them. Those are all life altering events, but you can overcome them. The self-help folks will tell you to dig in your heels and fight the depression that might ensue. You can do it. You are in control of your destiny. Only YOU can make a difference.
There once lived a man who had it all. His bank account was full. He had a wonderful family. His success was known by everyone. Suddenly the bottom fell out. He lost everything. His wealth disappeared. His children were swept away in a storm. His health deteriorated to the point of death, but still he lived through the disappointments and loss. His friends, on the other hand, thought he must have done something egregious to cause God to put him through all these disasters. Even his wife questioned him. The man was named Job. He suffered through, knowing that God wasn’t causing this.
Today there are similar situations. Floods and storms that strip away lives. Any school shooting. The loss of a family member. A financial loss, murder, assault, abuse, corruption, hatred, division, and on and on. Our lives are filled with difficult situations, but God remains the same throughout. At what seemed the end of his life, the man in the story remained strong in his faith even though he had been put through every agony possible. God didn’t desert him. in fact, His majestic voice poured out of a whirlwind.
“Dress for action like a man; I will question you, and you make it known to me. Will you even put me in the wrong. Will you condemn me that you may be in the right? Have you an arm like God, and can you thunder with a voice like his? Adorn yourself with majesty and dignity; clothe yourself with glory and splendor.” Job 40:7-10 ES
The process of life, makes us blessed like the earth, with seasons of unending bliss,
The story begins at the time of our birth, there are days that we’d rather dismiss,
We cannot escape trouble, it’s part of the plan, to test and refine us each day,
To strengthen our growth in life’s tenuous span, to trust in our God as we pray,
No more will we lay in that backbreaking ground, a new life awaits in the end,
Upon our last day, we’ll inherit a crown, given by our sweet Jesus, our friend.
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Amen, Kathy. Job is one of my favorite books. So much wisdom there and it reads like a Shakespearian play or something. I love how all along there’s a storm brewing in the background before God eventually steps out of the whirlwind and speaks.
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I agree it is written in a poetic form. The use of descriptive adjectives brings life to the words and hope to us. Thanks for you comment!
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I’d like to hear the story from Mrs. Job’s point of view. She has really gotten a bum rap over the centuries, no doubt because her only appearance in the narrative is the part where she questions Job’s faith in God. But who could blame her? She suffered everything he did — the loss of her wealth, her prosperity, and all ten of her children, and to her it probably looked as though she would soon lose her husband as well. Yet no one ever expresses any sympathy for her — in fact Christians uniformly vilify her because she questions God’s goodness (something all of us have done at one time or another, often with less provocation than Mrs. Job had).
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I agree totally. Mrs Job suffered right alongside her hubby. She must’ve stayed with him though since we’re told his family reproduced. Not too sure she felt great going through that process though. Let’s hear it for Mrs Job😜
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Amen sister!
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Yes! Suffering is not wasted. My heart breaks for Texas, but I also see the great outpouring of love, compassion and strength.
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God is with us in all circumstances. Some would say He is responsible but he does His best work in times of trouble. Seeing the coming together of community and compassion for those who have lost so much is one of those benefits that God blessed us with. He is the same as he was yesterday, is today and will be tomorrow. Thanks for your comment.
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