"My soul is weary of my life; I will leave my complaint upon myself; I will speak in the bitterness of my soul.
I will say unto God, Do not condemn me; shew me wherefore thou contendest with me.
Is it good unto thee that thou shouldest oppress, that thou shouldest despise the work of thine hands, and shine upon the counsel of the wicked?"
Job 10:1-3
The story of Job seems to be illustrative of our time in mortality. Things are normal/good, things are horrible/tragic, things are good again... and we learn. It's easy to say that outside of the cycle, looking in, when we're not in the middle of a crisis, and that is part of what I love about the way that God deals with us in our bad times. He knows that we will be okay in the end, and that complaints of injustice are unwarranted, but God doesn't hold them against us as betrayals. Instead, he comforts us in the moment, just as we would a young child who is full of incoherent rage, fighting against us. We know that the kid is tired and frustrated and doesn't see the whole picture. At those times, we hold the child, try to infuse some calm, and teach that this is a safe space, giving them time to adjust and learn some self-regulation.
God knows that even though we are adults, we're still mortals, and we can't see the bigger picture. As eternal beings, we're still young, and we can't see the bright future ahead, instead focusing on the obstacle right in front of us. God acknowleges what we are feeling, and sorrows with us. He doesn't discount our emotions, but he can see farther--past the current tragedy, and he wants to comfort and help us, if we can calm down and accept it. Christ overcame even death, and nothing is ever permanently lost.
Today, let's try to step back from our perspective of the world falling apart around us and let God strengthen us and take some of our pain. It might seem bad now, and like the bad guys are winning, but that isn't how the story ends. Let's take a moment, and a deep breath, trust in God, and keep turning the pages. Just as with Job, it will get gloriously better.
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