We all have a rollercoaster of emotions when it comes to family. We love ‘em but wow, sometimes you want to throttle them too. But I just can’t imagine what Job went through. He was rich, had a great family, maybe a loving wife and then wham! it is all gone. The rollercoaster of emotions Job must have gone through was supersized. He is going through one disaster after another and there, he sees his wife coming to him. He must have thought she was coming to comfort him but his wife says one of the most cruel things a wife could say, “Curse God and die!” She is literally saying to go to hell. Talk about a sudden drop.
Job did one thing that surprises many who think of Job as the long suffering, rock solid guy that nothing ever phased. Well, he was rock solid in his trust in God but boy did he go through emotional ups and down. One minute we hear him say, “Shall we accept good from God, and not trouble?” and practically with the same breath say, “Why did I not perish at birth, and die as I came from the womb? …I have no peace, no quietness; I have no rest, but only turmoil.” Job was in the depth of despair. He didn’t understand why God would allow all the suffering he was going through happen. His friends did nothing to help–God even says they did wrong. Seems like Job was on one of those rides that takes you to the top and then drops you very suddenly with a crash just waiting to happen.
Families are like that. The emotions that they invoke are totally mixed up. There are times when we must feel like Job did when his wife told him to die. The bottom drops out and someone is pushing us faster down. We will experience despair. But God is there! We may think God has turned his head away from us but he is watching, encouraging us to persever. The trials we go through are there to make us stronger, stronger lives, stronger families, stronger Christian walk. We must not give up on God, rather, we must lean into Him who will give us strength. We must turn to our brothers and sisters in Christ and they will provide comfort, hopefully unlike Job’s friends. When we persever in our faith in God and His power, we will see our families become less broken. We will find the rollercoaster turn from “The Terror” to the kiddies ride. God will see us through. Let’s move.
As you know, we count as blessed those who have persevered. You have heard of Job’s perseverance and have seen what the Lord finally brought about. The Lord is full of compassion and mercy. -James 5:11
