This post has nothing to do with resumes. Well, if you believe you can have a spiritual resume, then maybe it does. I am not writing today about 'job' experience (with a short 'o'), but rather Job experience. Like the guy in the Bible.
Mostly, I have always shied away from Job's story. It makes me uncomfortable. Extreme suffering doesn't appeal to me in the least. Not even reading about it. But, it is in there. And for about the past six months or so, I have felt obsessed with the crazy book. And as always, God has been faithful in giving me insight.
So, I thought I'd share some of what has come to light for me about the book of Job.
The first disconcerting thing about Job's story is the fact that God seems to turn satan loose in Job's life while Job is just minding his own business being blameless and full of integrity. He was busy staying away from evil. So it appears that God says, "Oh satan, you look bored, you may go and harass my servant Job."
Let me just say, the first time I read this book, that was as far as I got. It made no sense to me at all. Someone was busy being good and doing what they should and God invites the devil to torment them. It just didn't seem to bode well for the rest of us.
The light came on for me about this situation in a grades 4, 5 & 6 Orange event of all places! The children's program at our church is called 'Orange' and one Sunday two of my girls' grades were studying the Bible's view of money and parents were invited to attend. Part way through his teaching, the volunteer was talking about pleasing God and he asked us to refer to Job in our Bibles.
The volunteer read 1:8, then encouraged the children to do what is good and what pleases God so that He will brag about us like He bragged about Job.
What? Wait a minute. Did you just say God was bragging about Job? Bragging? About a human? Give me another minute while my mind reels from THAT paradigm shift.
To be honest, my mind hasn't stopped reeling. God wants to brag about us?
So if we could have caught the tone of that conversation, it wouldn't have sounded like, "Oh go ahead and harass poor old Job." it would have been more along the lines of, "Whatever satan, throw what you can at him, but he's MINE. Do your best, but he won't fall." THAT is INTENSE! Because Job isn't Jesus and I kind of figured God reserved that kind of confidence for His only begotten Son.
Have you ever noticed that humility isn't in the list of the fruit of the Spirit? Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self control. Humility is a pretty big deal. No, actually, it is a HUGE deal. The complete and utter lack of it is what got God's favorite angel kicked right out of heaven. There are a lot of scriptures discussing the fact that God is not a fan of pride.
So here's the question. If humility isn't a fruit of the Spirit, where or how do we get it?
I think...maybe, through Job experience.
Chapter 41 is God giving Job what my kids would call, 'a big, long, lecture' about 'Leviathan'. Is Leviathan a sea creature, a dragon, perhaps? There are varying opinions. One opinion, that my gut instinct says is right, is that Leviathan is pride. The last couple of things God has to say about it seem to point in that direction:
33 Nothing on earth is its equal,
no other creature so fearless.
34 Of all the creatures, it is the proudest.
It is the king of beasts.”
Pride is surely the king of all the beasts we as humans have to face. We can be joyful, even have a pretense of patience and be the kindest person on the block, but if we have pride lurking about our minds and spirits, that fruit is naught but plastic.
And another thing about Leviathan, a.k.a. pride?
8 If you lay a hand on it,
you will certainly remember the battle that follows.
You won’t try that again!
9 [c]No, it is useless to try to capture it.
The hunter who attempts it will be knocked down.
10 And since no one dares to disturb it,
who then can stand up to me?
11 Who has given me anything that I need to pay back?
Everything under heaven is mine.
It just doesn't sound like something we are going to be able to tackle ourselves. In our own strength. Self help books on CD, or in print version, are no match against this thing.
So who has to wrestle this thing out of us? Looks like God Himself. And how is He going to do it? Apparently any way He needs to.
At some point in the life of every serious follower of Jesus I think we're going to have to get some Job experience. I don't like that any more than anyone else. But I think we'd be naive and silly to doubt it.
I am getting some Job experience of my own right now. When I first started cluing in to what was going on, I fought it. With every ounce of my energy. Then I realized I wasn't getting any where, I was just getting exhausted. So now, I have given up the fight. To the One who will win.
I want Him to have reason to brag about me. And so, I sit in the dust and ashes...
So if we could have caught the tone of that conversation, it wouldn't have sounded like, "Oh go ahead and harass poor old Job." it would have been more along the lines of, "Whatever satan, throw what you can at him, but he's MINE. Do your best, but he won't fall." THAT is INTENSE! Because Job isn't Jesus and I kind of figured God reserved that kind of confidence for His only begotten Son.
Have you ever noticed that humility isn't in the list of the fruit of the Spirit? Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self control. Humility is a pretty big deal. No, actually, it is a HUGE deal. The complete and utter lack of it is what got God's favorite angel kicked right out of heaven. There are a lot of scriptures discussing the fact that God is not a fan of pride.
So here's the question. If humility isn't a fruit of the Spirit, where or how do we get it?
I think...maybe, through Job experience.
Chapter 41 is God giving Job what my kids would call, 'a big, long, lecture' about 'Leviathan'. Is Leviathan a sea creature, a dragon, perhaps? There are varying opinions. One opinion, that my gut instinct says is right, is that Leviathan is pride. The last couple of things God has to say about it seem to point in that direction:
33 Nothing on earth is its equal,
no other creature so fearless.
34 Of all the creatures, it is the proudest.
It is the king of beasts.”
Pride is surely the king of all the beasts we as humans have to face. We can be joyful, even have a pretense of patience and be the kindest person on the block, but if we have pride lurking about our minds and spirits, that fruit is naught but plastic.
And another thing about Leviathan, a.k.a. pride?
8 If you lay a hand on it,
you will certainly remember the battle that follows.
You won’t try that again!
9 [c]No, it is useless to try to capture it.
The hunter who attempts it will be knocked down.
10 And since no one dares to disturb it,
who then can stand up to me?
11 Who has given me anything that I need to pay back?
Everything under heaven is mine.
It just doesn't sound like something we are going to be able to tackle ourselves. In our own strength. Self help books on CD, or in print version, are no match against this thing.
So who has to wrestle this thing out of us? Looks like God Himself. And how is He going to do it? Apparently any way He needs to.
At some point in the life of every serious follower of Jesus I think we're going to have to get some Job experience. I don't like that any more than anyone else. But I think we'd be naive and silly to doubt it.
I am getting some Job experience of my own right now. When I first started cluing in to what was going on, I fought it. With every ounce of my energy. Then I realized I wasn't getting any where, I was just getting exhausted. So now, I have given up the fight. To the One who will win.
42 Then Job replied to the Lord:
2 “I know that you can do anything,
and no one can stop you.
3 You asked, ‘Who is this that questions my wisdom with such ignorance?’
It is I—and I was talking about things I knew nothing about,
things far too wonderful for me.
4 You said, ‘Listen and I will speak!
I have some questions for you,
and you must answer them.’
5 I had only heard about you before,
but now I have seen you with my own eyes.
6 I take back everything I said,
and I sit in dust and ashes to show my repentance.”
and no one can stop you.
3 You asked, ‘Who is this that questions my wisdom with such ignorance?’
It is I—and I was talking about things I knew nothing about,
things far too wonderful for me.
4 You said, ‘Listen and I will speak!
I have some questions for you,
and you must answer them.’
5 I had only heard about you before,
but now I have seen you with my own eyes.
6 I take back everything I said,
and I sit in dust and ashes to show my repentance.”
I want Him to have reason to brag about me. And so, I sit in the dust and ashes...
