Ever had just one of those weeks? Nothing that compares to Job, but it feels like it could have come close. Ever felt like the walls were just caving in or someone was constantly pouring water in your life where it has almost become unbearable to breathe?
"For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through the endurance taught in the Scriptures and the encouragement they provide we might have hope." Romans 15:4
I have. And this week just happens to be "that week." I am never one to complain about anything, but this week I have almost complained about everything. I’ve complained about not sleeping, I’ve complained about my job, I’ve complained about my sun burn, and even about the weather. Complain, complain, and complain. Negative word after another, negative words was the only thing in my dictionary.
Someone once told me that God didn’t promise us things would be easy, but He did promise us that He will be there to help us through it. As much as I thought that was or should be a verse in the Bible, I have yet to find it. It is not there. But the saying is true, things are not easy. That is when the verse began to appear in my head. Let’s read it again with a few emphases on words. “For EVERYTHING that was written in the PAST was written to teach us, so that through the ENDURANCE taught in the Scriptures and the encouragement they provide we might have hope.”
The things that we read in the Old and New Testament were testaments of faith. Not all of their stories had a fairy tale ending. Look at Job, Job had everything and then lost everything, he was completely wiped out. He had a family and a farm with many animals. Everything was gone and because of his faith he stayed true to God. Even when things got so bad, he still praised the Lord. Is that a fairy tale ending? Some may think so, because he still praised God, but who wants to be completely wiped out?
I look back on the week and everything that I have felt like has gone wrong. I learned that I need not to complain, but be blessed that I have something to sort of complain about. I have a home and a bed that I can go to and go to sleep earlier. I am blessed to have a job, when some people are without and are barely making it by. I should have wore sunscreen and I am amazed that I serve a God that can make seasons change into something suitable for everyone, who can also in a blink of a second turn the rain into snow, or place the sun behind a cloud for a little bit of shade.
So let us read the scripture as we learn about their past, so that through endurance and the encouragement they provide we might have hope.
