What would you do if you lost everything?

Whenever the time change happens, in the spring, I immediately have a negative reaction. Sure it's great the sun is out longer, it's the transition that I have an aversion to - losing an hour of sleep. For some reason this direction takes me about a month to recover. I REALLY like my sleep. The thought of getting a good night's sleep, or better yet being able to sleep in brings me warm, fuzzy thoughts. So true to character, this last time change was no different. I heard it was on the way, I immediately groaned, and counted the weekends until it arrived.

At about the same time, Rob and I started the next book in our weekly bible study on the book of Job (pronounced with a long "o" if you are unfamiliar). Now if you know about this book, you probably said to yourself, "You are going to study THAT book? But it's so tragic!", or "Wonder what God is preparing you for?", and even if you didn't say that I certainly did! But in the end I relented to Rob's excitement and we started that study.

Quick (very quick) summary of the book- Job is this awesome believer in God. He understands his strength and everything he has comes from his God, and God recognizes his faith as well. At some point in the beginning the devil talks with God, and it's at that point that God actually points out Job to the devil, asking him what he thought of His servant Job. After the devil pretty much tells Him that the only reason Job worships God is because of all he has been given, God allows the devil to have his way with Job, and through a series of events, allows the devil to let most all of Job's family die, take his riches, and even take his health to a disfiguring condition. God's one limit was that the devil could not take Job's life. Even Job's wife who is the only one left of his family, tells him in the midst of all his misery, an struggling faith in the God he loves, to curse God and die. You know what Job's reaction was? Mind you, the children he so loved, his home, his livestock, most all his servants, were all tragically killed within what seems a span of an hour in the story - nonetheless his reaction is to praise God. He not only praises Him, but acknowledges that He can give and take away as He sees fit. He tells his wife should we only praise Him when He gives? I doubt he was praising Him with outward "happy joy", but he acknowledged an acceptance of God's sovereignty. His passion to honor God eventually does wane a little as things worsen and his friends admonish him, but through the whole time, he always believes in God's sovereignty and it does end well as by the end of the book his faith increases.

Shortly after we started the study, Japan had their myriad of tragedies. I then thought of Job. When I read his story it's hard to relate because in part there are no visuals, and also it's very much removed from me. With Japan, though, we were able to see a lot, maybe too much on some level, but it brought what Job went through to a place where I could access it if only a little more. Then the magnitude of Job's story became slightly more real. I'm not suggesting that the only response is to be like Job. I would be a hypocrite because after all I complain at the slightest discomforts. I guess my question is how does someone have that response in the midst of a huge tragic event? I'm not sure I know THE answer, but I think I see a small piece.

I guess in order to trust a God like that, you have to know Him. Before Rob and I started dating, I remember observing him and hearing what others said about him. I remember he was truthful and honest, while at church or bible study, he had laser focus on the topic at hand. I liked that and it was the beginning of me getting to know him, which led to getting to know him more into our dating years, and eventually where I agreed to become his wife. All the experiences I had with him over time eventually led to the type of love and trust necessary to committing to him for the rest of my life. If I hadn't taken the time to have a personal experience with him, I would have to trust what others said that may or may not be true. But worse of all, I would not have had the blessings of having a relationship with him. It hasn't been all rosy - marriage or any relationship isn't perfect or always easy - but when we persevere through the relationship typically becomes stronger as we continue in it.

Friends, my walk with God, and more specifically Jesus has been like this. One step at a time. He is the perfect father that many of us didn't have - He is the perfect man who will always keep His promises, and more importantly He's the kind of friend who would do anything for us, even give His life. Easter is around the corner, and for Christians this celebration is more powerful than Christmas. Job was able to praise God in the midst of his incredible trials because he KNEW God so well, and trusted Him so much, that he just KNEW if bad things were to happen in his life, there must be some things only the Lord sees and knows, so he could just trust in the midst of the circumstances.

My prayer for me, my sisters and brothers in Christ, my friends, and my family is to know this radical faith in the One who not only created us, but will never leave us and give us the eternal meaning in our tragedies if only we trust in Him. Have a blessed Easter ~ and by the way, as trite as this sounds, I asked God to give me strength to get through the loss of an hour's sleep... and I never felt the loss of time. He meets us wherever we are at. Shalom.