Soul Food - 1/11/8

"Have I not wept for those in
trouble?
Has not my soul grieved for the
poor?
Yet when I hoped for good, evil came;
when I looked for light, then came
darkness. The churning inside me never stops;
days of suffering confront me."

- Job 30:25-26

"My harp is tuned to mourning,
and my flute to the sound of
wailing."

- Job 30:31

= A word of encouragement =

This book is a tough one to get through sometimes because Job is just so depressed. When I read the Bible or a spritually-themed book, I want to be uplifted - spurred on to new heights - emboldened to make something of my self.

But that's not the way real life is day in and day out.

Sometimes you do everything right and it still falls apart. Sometimes it keeps falling apart and falling apart and you wonder if the free-fall of destruction will ever end.

And at that point, the last thing you need are friends like Job's who say your hardships must be all your fault. You must have done something wrong. If you were just smart and righteous like them, you wouldn't be in such a mess.

This is one of the things that makes the Bible the most influential book in history. It gives full vent to the entire human experience.

So to those of you who are reading along - hang in there! We are 2/3 of the way through Job!