Teachings from my Job years…
“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.”
This is the verse I am venturing into the next season with. This honest cry of praise comes out of Job after learning that all of his family has been killed in an accident that Job didn’t see coming. If you’ve had a circumstance happen to you that you didn’t see coming this pain will feel familiar to you to. The last 4 years have been my Job years of sorts. From surprise pregnancy to financial ruin, from chronic health issues to job loss, there has been so much that feels like it’s been taken away from me at times, and in the same breath I can see all that God has provided in those times as well.
The beauty from the ashes.
I can see where Job praised the LORD in this passage. One thing that I’ve realized over the past 4 years that gives me peace is… God is ALWAYS there. He’s been there in the joy and in the pain. In the deep seasons of grief where I have no explanations of why bad things happen to good people. He’s been there even when I felt like He was far and our relationship was strained.
This truth that He is constant amidst our life changes gives me the most peace of all.
There was a time when I tried to do all that I could in my power to avoid pain and try to protect my heart. It’s our human nature to want to be God and protect ourselves from pain. We were never meant to experience it, but we forget that we chose it. And despite our choosing to know more than we should have, and our pride in thinking that we could be like God, He still chose to redeem us, to pursue us, to love us. Wow, what a love.
It’s why Restored Living was born. Back in 2018, when my world shattered, he showed me the power of restoration of my brokenness. That restoration is the way to live, and in order to restore, things have to break. We can’t have a perfect life, but we can embrace the suffering that will come our way. It’s not a fun thing to do, I will say that right now. Following in step with Jesus is signing up for suffering, and it is the most painful thing you will do in your life. BUT in that suffering, you will experience salvation that is supernatural to what the world offers.
In a world where we are having to be more discerning of what is real and what is not (and this is getting harder and harder to do), it’s so important that we are closely connected to the TRUTH and the LIFE. Many things in this life will act as our salvation in our lives. The jobs we have and the income that’s attached to them. The thousands of followers. The kids we have and how “good” they are raised. The body we “steward”. As Ecclesiastes says, “it’s all meaningless” because the LORD “gives and takes away”. When we start to put those gifts from God IN God’s place, I find that’s when those things end up being taken away. Many times we are so focused on naively creating our own life that when these things get removed, it feels sudden and out of nowhere. That’s the point where we start to blame God for our problems instead of ourselves, putting that gift in His place.
These moments have humbled me greatly over the years.
One thing I will say is that humility is the highway to true joy. I think what I was searching for in my life was joy, but I was going about getting it the wrong way. I tried to manufacture it through my own power. I listened to the lies that, in order to have a good life, you need xyz. Today I can confidently say that, in my humbling and God being in his rightful place, I’ve truly felt more fruits of the Spirit than I have in a long time, and isn’t that what we are all looking for?
So if you’ve held on so far, here is what I want to leave you with. Choose the narrow path. Lean into suffering, grief, and humility. Not many will choose to feel the pain that life will throw at them. I can assure you the pain will not overtake you. You will be protected by the Lord, and HE will be your salvation. He will take away, BUT He will also give. This is a promise that pain will not be without gifts.
Resist the temptation to take your problems into your own hands with anxiety and worry. Resist the temptation to manifest your life. Embrace the way that is dependent on your Father in all circumstances. This is where true life on this earth is found. Live Restored friends!
