As I am reading the book of Job, it is only appropriate my message comes from Job. So let's think of all that has happened up to date. He has lost all, except the one thing he probably wished he lost. The evidence of that is the new batch of 10 kids. So clearly, it's not one woman bearing 20 kids. We have a house. We have a business. We have great workers. We have all workers. All Job put his heart into, is gone. A flattened house. Flattened and destroyed relationships, all his dreams, gone. Flattened. By one event. And he repeatedly says to God in later chapters, why are you putting your poisoned darts in me. Why do you keep smashing me against the wall. The love of his life (not the wife), all gone. Business hopes, all gone. Administrators of the sheep, cows, camels, fields, all gone. How many right hands can we have? One right hand...gone. Next right hand gone. Third right hand, gone. How many right hands can we grow? Time, effort, encouragement, in one minute, another right hand...gone. When is enough, enough? How many right arms, can we grow? Even as I type this, a text comes in, and I lost all I wrote. In a split second, your world is upside down. Can anything that you had, ever be replaced? Can the first 10 kids be replaced? Can the farm administrators be replaced? Can you replace broken toys and wounded hearts? Job's struggle is his. His alone. Not yours. Not mine. His. No one knows his pain. We know his actions. We know his words. We can't know his pain. Why? He is in pain, all others are moving forward. Life moves on. New relationships. New challenges. Life is good. One thing I do know, in our lives we must and will suffer emotional heartbreak. So when you will go through yours, who will go through it with you? No one. People have their cosy houses. Cosy beds. You are empty. How many times can we be hurt? How many hopes and dreams can be broken in our lives, before we say...enough. How many? Life is exciting. Challenging. And we all strive for one thing, to lie in someone's arms. When we have that, we have the world. And from some, this is withheld from them by heaven itself. Some people, I wanna know what love is. I want you to show me (song by Foreigner playing now). But nothing. Loneliness. Emptiness. Tragedy. So, where to from here Job? Where to? Its not about money. Its about heart. And when you have no heart, no health, these are tough calls. So, to end on a positive note. Then again, why should I? Oops...I forgot... must encourage people. Yes. Yes. Job's life was super dooper at the end. For now, storm just started. In start of Job.
MCC Admin