When I was young, I
used to be surprised by the bad things that happened to God’s people. I may
have been immature enough to entertain the thought that a relationship with God
would mean immunization against suffering. I have met hundreds of believers who
are like Job’s friends who always assume that suffering is a consequence of
one’s disobedience. Recently during several back to back trials, I was sharing
with a friend about the confidence that these trials were not judgment but
rather “just another day outside the garden.” As I said that phrase it, it
captured my heart and has become an encouraging guard on my soul whenever
disappointment knocks on my door again. Job penned a description that clearly
frames “just another day outside the Garden.”
“Man born of woman is
of few days and full of trouble.” Job 14:1
Notice that the days are FEW but these few
days are FULL of trouble. Personally I would prefer having full days with few
troubles. When I looked up the word “trouble” in Hebrew it means violent
emotion of anger, fear, tremble, torment, rage and restlessness. Consider the
reality that man’s days are full of these negative synonyms. These synonyms are so negative but they are
part of “just another day outside the garden.” Although my relationship with
God is not immunization against torment, restlessness or trials, my
relationship with God gives me privileged access to sufficient grace that
sustains me during a day “full of trouble.”
Treasures
Missed While Waiting for Perfection
As I have been
meditating on this phrase, I have encountered one more nugget. During a moment
of great challenge and chaos, I almost passed on time spent with dear friends.
The chaos (house half-flooded) seemed like a justifiable “excuse” to not have
friends from Seattle stay in our home. Ken and I decided to graciously welcome
our friends and we learned an invaluable lesson. Too often people miss the
treasures that are hidden amidst the chaos of our lives while waiting for
perfection to be restored or attained. Having guests in our home during the
flood chaos, allowed for moments of priceless fellowship that we would have
missed waiting for our house to be returned to “perfection!”
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