“Therefore I will not keep silent; I will speak out in the anguish of my spirit, I will complain in the bitterness of my soul.”
~ Job 7:11
Hi James and Ellen,
Have you ever become really angry? If you have become really angry, what did you do? If you have become really angry, did you pout, did you throw a temper tantrum, did you wildly throw things, did you scream really loud at whoever or at whatever made you angry or did you feel bitter with whom or about what made you angry? Do you think that it is okay to become angry? If you have become really angry with someone, has it been with your dad and/or your ma and/or a teacher and/or a friend? If you have become really angry, has it been with your Father God? If you have become really angry with your dad, what did he do? If you have become really angry with your ma, what did she do? If you have become really angry with a teacher, what did he or she do? If you became really angry with a friend, what did he or she do? If you have become really angry with your Father God, what did He do? Job 7 is about Job having become angry with his Father God. Job by this time had become covered with worms and scabs and his skin was broken and festering. Job’s kids had all been killed. Job had lost all his possessions. Job just had Eliphaz – a self-proclaimed friend, tell him that it had to be his fault that he was in this untenable situation that was in. Because Job wanted to pass on the blame for the indefensible circumstances that had happened to him, Job opted to blame his Father God for what had happened and was happening to him. Would you blame your dad and/or ma or a teacher or a friend or your Father God if horrific things began happening to you one right after another? Job was unable to sleep. Job became sleep deprived. When Job was finally able to fall asleep, Job would have really scary, terrifying dreams and visions. Job no longer enjoyed life. Job no longer wanted to live. Job was in absolute misery.
Have you ever felt like a Job? Have you ever had another kid – who you thought was a really good friend, tell you that that the something horrific that had just happened to you was your fault? Has a teacher ever criticized you for something that you thought that you were doing right? Have you ever been punished by your dad and/or ma for something that you did not do? How do you feel when it seems like every guy, gal and kid who you know is against you? Do you thank your Father God for all the difficult life lessons that He has taught and is teaching you or do you curl up in a ball – on your bed, to wallow in a personal pity party? Do you ever look for reasons why the ‘sky has suddenly fallen down on you’ or why the ‘earth has suddenly opened up to swallow you?’ Do you want to hurt yourself when it seems like there is no guy, gal or kid – including your Father God, who is willing to silently spend time with you – to help you navigate around the deep potholes that are in your lives’ paths? Do you want to seek vengeance or retaliate when it seems like every guy, gal and kid – including your Father God, is against you as you try to navigate around the deep potholes that are in your lives’ paths. Uncontrolled anger has the very real potential to cause irreparable harm to both of your lives and on the lives of the guys, gals and kids who are your lives’ circles. Unrestrained anger has the real potential of driving a guy, gal and kid – including you, your dad, your ma, your grandpaa, your grandmaa, your uncle Chris, your aunt Lynn, your . . ., out of being in emotional and rational control.
During the time when your grandmaa and grandpaa were the administrators of the rural resident leadership training center that was located in Concepción, Ñuflo de Chávez – in Bolivia, your grandpaa was asked by a local guy – who was the area veterinarian, to play on Concepción’s basketball team. Concepción one year – for during a annual festival, invited a team from Santa Cruz to travel to Concepción to play basketball and soccer against their teams. To get from Santa Cruz overland to Concepción would take your grandpaa at least seven or eight hours. The basketball team from Santa Cruz first played against Concepción’s basketball team. Your grandpaa played in the game. The Concepción area veterinarian also played. Your grandpaa does not remember if Concepción won or lost their basketball game against the basketball team from Santa Cruz. The Santa Cruz soccer team then played against Concepción’s soccer team. Santa Cruz’s soccer team beat Concepción’s soccer team. After the soccer game ended, the teams got together for a party in a place that was located a block away from the rural resident leadership training center. The Concepción area veterinarian got drunk during the party and shot the player on the Santa Cruz soccer team who scored the winning goal. The soccer player died. Because the Concepción area veterinarian had become so angry at a Santa Cruz soccer player that he shot him, the guy caused a lot of guys and gals to suffer. A day of fun ended tragically because one guy could not control his anger. A friend of the Concepción’s area veterinarian found a horse for the guy to escape from being put in prison for what he did. The Concepción’s area veterinarian about a year later as he was going down a street on his motorcycle passed your grandpaa, recognized your grandpaa, turned his motorcycle around, stopped next your grandpaa, got off his motorcycle and gave your grandpaa a Bolivian hug. All your grandpaa could think of at that moment was that it is not every day that a guy has a murderer hug him. Verse 11 has Job venting to God, ““Therefore I will not keep silent; I will speak out in the anguish of my spirit, I will complain in the bitterness of my soul.” God knows what His specially elected guys, gals and kids are going through as they are living out their lives on planet Earth as He is Who perfectly choreographed everything that is unfolding in the lives of every guy, gal and kid who He has living on planet Earth. Be prepared to suffer at times because God is going to give you life learning experiences on how to get His help to get around lives’ potholes.
Job 7 (476)