Job

The events of this last year and a talk last Sunday on Faith and Adversity led me to re-read Job in the Old Testament. I have always liked Job, not particularly his friends, though. As I prepared my talk, I read Job and based the first part of my talk on chapters 1 & 2. I got to the end of the second chapter and Job's wife gave him some poor advice. I started to think about her side of the story. The events were happening to her as much as him. They had been the wealthiest couple in the east, they lost everything in a matter of hours, including all of their children. She had remained faithful until Job got boils from head to toe. It probably dawned on her at that moment that she was suffering all of this because of Job, which was true. I think this story is where the idea "bad things happen to good people" came from. It also reminds me that our circumstances are not always due to our own efforts or lack thereof. Sometimes we are put into situations that don't seem fair (like Job and his wife). Anyway that you look at it, this life is our challenge to learn. I believe that Brigham Young noted that some of us have to learn the same lesson over and over. If you are frustrated with a certain area in your life, maybe you are not learning the lesson. I am learning once again how to deal with chaos, and people who can't do anything for themselves. This time my perspective is different so maybe I will learn the lessons faster. Maybe. I hope so.