PCC Scroll: Job's Wife

I'm really enjoying writing "Women of the Bible." Here's a piece on Job's wife.

Name: The name of Job’s wife is not recorded in the Bible.

Her Character: Despite sometimes reacting badly to her family’s suffering, Job’s wife walked with him during a dark season.

Her Sorrow: She suffered the loss of her children and home, and she no doubt regretted her outburst.

Her Triumph: Despite her family’s losses and her less than stellar reaction, her family recovered all. She went on to have more children.

Key Scriptures: Job 2:9, 19:17, 31:10

Most of us are familiar with the book of Job, and we know a lot about his character from his reaction to the calamity that befell him. We know little about his wife, though the snapshot in history of her is not very flattering. Theologian and philosopher St. Augustine referred to her as the “adjutant to the devil.” Painter and poet William Blake referred to her as the “faithful attendant upon her husband’s misery.”

There is no doubt that she reacted badly. But let us take a look at when we are introduced to her. Her husband and family were under attack, and she was at her wits end. In a short period of time, her family had lost their herds, their ten children had died, and her husband was struck with a disease. She was in grief and shock and was no doubt wondering what on earth was going on. Where was God?

Was her statement of “curse God and die” the words of a callous, evil woman? Or was her statement of “curse God and die” the words of a woman who was distraught to the point where she saw no recovery from all the evil that had befallen their house. She was no doubt suffering along with her husband, and her faith was not as strong as his.

The next record of Job’s wife is also unflattering. She had turned away from her husband because his breath stunk from the disease he was afflicted with. Job had suffered already and the one person who should have been a comfort to him had turned away from him in disgust. She was part of his suffering instead of a comfort.

The lessons on Job normally focus on the suffering of Job and his faith in God. Then his wife’s reactions are used as an example of a wife and woman who was more of a burden and a curse. But there is hardly any acknowledgment that she lost 10 children all at once. Or that she was forced to leave her home. Or that she saw her husband’s health turn for the worst.

How would you react to all of those calamities at once? Truthfully how many of us have reacted strongly to a situation where we regretted our outburst or reaction. Luckily for us, we are not recorded in the Bible afterward. But like Job’s wife, an outburst or reaction gives us a snapshot of where we are. We can in that moment acknowledge and take stock in areas that we need to be strengthened and where we need to grow.

Her reactions were probably a wake up call for her to acknowledge where she was. At those moments, perhaps she realized that her faith was not as strong as it could have been.

Job went on to recover his losses and more. Although it is not said, we can make the conclusion that his wife recovered with him. She no doubt regretted her lack of faith as well as turning away from her husband. Her story serves as a reminder of how important it is to walk with loved ones during their valleys. Job was not supported by his friends, and he would have appreciated a praying, patient wife.

It is in our suffering and trials that we often find out where we really are. Even if we react badly, it is an opportunity to acknowledge where we are and take steps to do better in the future. Like Job’s family, God will restore us, and He will help us recover.

 

PCC Scroll: Editor's Corner

Here is my section:

The editing team met with Kris Fulsaas for our yearly retreat in August. As we talked about the next four issues, a reoccurring theme was becoming our authentic selves. So we selected an overarching theme of “Becoming the Authentic You” for the next four issues.

We thought the first step to becoming your authentic self would be to acknowledge where you are and to take stock in where you are.

In some ways, this acknowledgement can be counterintuitive. We are taught to manage our emotions from childhood. If someone asks us how we are doing, we are conditioned to answer, “Fine.” This is the rote answer even when things are not “fine.”

Then there is a point in time when we do acknowledge where we are, whether because we volunteer our true condition or because life has “found us out.” Then it begins. The ridicule, the jibes, and the judgment. It’s pretty interesting how people can criticize someone for “wearing a mask” but then constantly use the situation or circumstance to make the person whose mask is removed feel bad and inadequate about themselves.

Acknowledging where we are is hard. It is hard to admit certain things because we might not like how they sound. As a single person, it could be hard to acknowledge a feeling of loneliness in the same way it could be hard for a married person to acknowledge that they are unhappy in their marriage. These are not things we are supposed to feel or admit out loud.

But even if we try hard to create a false reality, life has a way of showing us where we are. Have you ever had one little thing set you over the edge? You could be at work and react strongly to something a colleague says or does. You could be driving along or at the grocery store and react strongly to someone cutting you off.

And these are the moments you might ask yourself, “Where did that come from”? In “Women of the Bible,” I wrote about Job’s wife. Her outburst of, “curse God and die” was probably a shock to herself. But we learn that it is the pressure of the fire that causes things that are deeply buried (or that we are in denial of) to come to the surface.

And the coming to the surface is a good thing. It allows us to know what areas we still need to grow in. So this quarter, I want to encourage you to take some time to figure out where you are. How you do this is up to you. Just do it. You may not be as far ahead as you thought, but you may not be as far behind as you thought.

Once you have this base, you can move forward to becoming the authentic person God designed you to be.

PCC Scroll: Word of the Quarter

Here's the latest from my church newsletter. I wrote the Word of the Quarter, so here it is!

In 2 Samuel 12, God sent Nathan to David. During their meeting, Nathan told David a story about a rich man and a poor man. The rich man had many flocks and herds, and the poor man had nothing except a little ewe. The poor man nourished the ewe. A traveler came to visit the rich man, and the rich man knew he should prepare a meal for his guest. The rich man did not want to spare an animal from his flocks or herds, so the rich man took the ewe of the poor man and prepared a meal for the traveler with her.

When David heard the story, he was angered by the rich man’s action. The rich man took the one thing the poor man had of value even though the rich man could have easily spared an animal from his flocks and herds. David was so consumed with anger over the deed of the rich man, that he could not see the similarities between the story and his dealings with Uriah, the husband of Bathsheba.

It wasn’t until Nathan informed David that he was the man that David could step back and take stock of the situation. Imagine David’s shock. At that moment, David was forced to acknowledge where he was and that he had sinned against God. David then repented.

Before Nathan talked with David, David was so engrossed and involved in his situation that he couldn’t see the truth for himself. It is like that with us sometimes. Sometimes we can be so engrossed and involved in a situation that we cannot see where we are. During these times, it could be helpful to have someone tell us the truth in love and without judgment so that we are able to move toward acknowledging where we are and move forward.

Hearing the truth is not always comfortable. This is why our truth tellers have to be people we trust and whose opinions we respect enough to receive. We have to then accept what the person tells us, especially when we can see the truth for ourselves. We then have to take ownership and do something about it.

Regardless of where we are in our journey, God has a way of showing us where are. Even without a truth teller, an event or circumstance can occur that reveals to us where we are spiritually. God has a way of bringing tests and trials that reveal to us areas we need to grow in.

And each of us has room to grow. Our taking stock in our current situation doesn’t necessary have to reveal some great sin or issue. Taking stock simply is a way in which we can get to know our true selves so we can continue on the journey of becoming our authentic selves.

It is when we become our authentic selves that we are able to fully function in the calls and purposes of our lives.

I Want to Fly Away

My yearly vacation is coming together!

Like the previous two years, lack of planning has led me down the tour route. So I’ll be doing a tour to Croatia and Slovenia. The tour ends in Venice, so I’ve tacked on some days at the end to explore on my own. This will be my second time in Venice. I visited Venice during my first European holiday. So I am excited to see the city again. I really liked the magic of the city and loveliness of the romantic city on the water.

I can’t wait to experience the wonders of a new place and encounter the people I will meet on this journey.

Health Journey

The wellness journey continues!

Since beginning my workout routine in January, I have lost over 20 pounds! I’ve lost body fat and inches as well. I try to not make it about the weight because the goal is good health.

Because I am more active, I am sleeping a lot better. Before, I would have problems falling and staying asleep at nights. I used to hate being up in the middle of the night for hours. Now when this happens, it is not the norm! I feel like my head is clearer, and I am also tired.

I try to walk as much as possible. I get 30 minutes already by walking to/from my bus. I also try to walk during my lunch hour, so a lot of days I get 90 minutes of walking in. As the weather changes, it will be a challenge to keep this up. I have a raincoat and umbrella. I just need some waterproof walking shoes or boots.

I’m also trying to eat better! I do a good job at work. I bring fruits and veggies to snack on and I have almonds and cashews. I have to do better at home. One, I need to stop eating after eight. And two, I need to cut down on my watching TV rote snacking. There are some things like kettle corn that I don’t even by anymore. I wish I had the discipline to not eat the whole bag at once, but I don’t.

When grocery shopping, I look longingly at the carts full of soda, cookies, and chips. But alas, I cannot purchase them. If I want a soda, I will buy one from the vending machine to satisfy the craving. When this happens, I never finish the whole can because it’s overwhelming after coming from drinking mainly water.

When I want ice-cream, I buy a single serving. I had to really change my mindset around money on this. The single serving costs $1, and I do the math to buying a pint. And the logically part of my machine tells me it’s a bad deal. However, the single serving is a special one-time treat, not a four-day affair the pint would bring. If I want a cookie, I go to a bakery and get a yummy chocolate chip or snickerdoodle.

So the thing is not denying myself and food but just trying to eat things like sweets in moderation. And portion control. If I want seconds, I try to make my seconds more salad, which I have fully loaded with veggies, cheese, and nuts. I add in eggs and avocado when the mood strikes.

I am trying to limit the processed food I buy so no more frozen pizza, tator tots, or corn dogs. I avoid the canned food aisle all together. As much stuff as I can get fresh, I do. The longer the shelf life, the scared I am of the product.

It’s been a great journey so far!