Even Job?

 Scriptures tell us that Job was righteous. Job 2:10 says that even in his personal dark night of the soul experience, he didn't sin with his mouth. The NLT (1996) says he said nothing wrong. But as I was looking back over his story, I saw something about Job that I hadn't seen before. 

I recognized a progression of his grief. What's important to note is that this progression was not a sin. Job remained righteous before God as he worked through his struggles.

When his world came crashing in on him, Job's response was excellent. In the first chapter, we read the account of Job's absolute worst day ever! I can't even imagine, even though I've related a bit more to his emotional journey at different points in my life. But losing everything, literally, except his health in one day? Whew. All I can do is shake my head. But in Job 1:20, we read Job's response. Job showed his grief by tearing his robe and shaving his head. Then he bowed down and worshipped. 

Sadly, this is not always my response. I usually get there, but it's after screaming, crying, and cussing a little bit. Job didn't yell at God, he didn't whine. His heart continued to trust God and acknowledge Him.

But it doesn't stop there. I simply can't imagine. After losing his wealth, his possessions, and all his children, he lost his health. In chapter two, his wife tries to tell him to give up hope, curse God, and just die. But let's make a quick note here. She was speaking from a grieved heart, too. She'd lost everything, the same as Job. And now she's watching her husband's health fail as she becomes his caregiver. (We may need to talk about her more a little later on!)

Now Job has lost nearly everything but his breath. And he still trusts God. He is at the acceptance stage in the grieving process. He tells his wife, we must accept good and bad in this life and still trust God. 

But by chapter 3 (who knows the exact timeline all of this occurred), the grief has really set in. Job "curses" the day he was born. He wished he hadn't ever seen the light of day. That's deep sorrow. He hasn't lost his trust in God; in fact, he is comfortable enough with God and confident enough that he maintains his righteousness before God throughout his story, which is going to get worse, thanks to his "friends."

Sometimes we don't understand grief, yet as caregivers, we live with various levels of grief every day. It comes in so many ways, and it comes in waves. Some are small rippling waves, and others are tidal waves. Honestly, we never know what a day will bring. We just keep pressing through it to trust God. And He meets us there every single time. No judgement. No condemnation. Just understanding and grace enough to work through all our crazy emotions one more time.

Today, I will remind myself that grief is not a sin. It's part of life. God gets that sometimes we worship, sometimes we accept, sometimes we cry. None of that scares Him away. Yes, Jesus "carried our grief" on the cross (Isaiah 53), but that doesn't mean we don't ever grieve again. It means He has enough grace for every time we grieve. Today, I will trust His grace is enough for my grief. I'll remind myself that He meets me in it every single time. I believe I can trust Him for one more day. Will you join me? 

 Peace Out! It's in the Bible is a 31-day devotional that is focused on letting God's peace reign in our hearts - no matter what. You can get the eBook from my shop at Buy Me A Coffee. Or the print and kindle versions are available in my Amazon Shop.