Job XCI

 God does not attempt to perfect those who do not know Him. They are under judgment. Why would He offer such a priceless gift to those who despise Him? Why would He attempt to mold someone into the image of His Son if they are ignorant of Him?

Those who do know Him, who desire and hunger after Him, are continually being pruned because God’s love for us is such that He desires us to be complete in Him, in His image, walking in His authority, with no impurities or imperfections nesting in the corners of our hearts. God is our heavenly father, and He wants the best for us. What we define as best might not be what He sees as best. Just as any earthly father will discipline, mold, and teach his progeny things that may seem difficult at first glance but that will reap a lifelong reward once they are mastered, God grows us so we learn to walk by faith, daily stretching us and getting us out of our comfort zone so as to not remain static ever reliant on milk.

We grew up poor. By we, I mean my brothers and I. My mom worked odd jobs cleaning homes, my dad worked two jobs, and the first few years were difficult to the point of desperation. When you have the Mexican family in the adjoining apartment bringing you a block of government cheese, you kind of know where you stand.

I wish I could say that my childhood didn’t mark me, but it did. One of the most vivid memories I have of our first few months in California was walking to the local grocery store, seeing the aisles stock full of all manner of things, wanting to fill the cart with cookies and cereal, and my mom counting out quarters, nickels, and dimes hoping we had enough for a gallon of milk and a loaf of white bread.

I remember the feeling of seeing what seemed like wonderful things to my adolescent eyes and not being able to have them, and because of my experiences, I have to fight the urge to spoil my daughters and give them everything they want because I know it would not be good for them in the long run.

If they had their way, there would be nothing but chocolate in the fridge, the cupboard, and the pantry. All five food groups rolled up into one delicious morsel. Because I know an all-chocolate diet would be detrimental to their health, I have to curb my compulsion to say yes to everything or let them eat chocolate until they pass out, and although I can see the disappointment in their eyes, or that look emblematic of all children, I have to insist that they include broccoli in their diet as well. Do they love broccoli? Hardly. What child does? But they eat it because their mother and I insist upon it, and although they may not shower us with gratitude presently if we’re still around when they’re all grown up, they’ll thank their mother and me for not giving in to their desires.

You discipline your children, teach them right from wrong, and deny them certain things not because you’re mean but because you love them. You know that their momentary cheerfulness and joy at having received what they desired will have detrimental effects further down the road, and so, even at the risk of tears or pouty looks, you still say no. Getting everything you want may not be the best thing for you, and because God knows best, you must defer to Him in such matters. It’s as simple as that, but as with most things, we tend to complicate it to the point of insisting that our will supersedes His, and though He knows how many hairs you have on your head, He’s ignorant of this one thing you really want and insist you should have.

God chastens those He loves. He corrects, refines, and perfects those who are His. It’s a hard truth but a Biblical truth, and we must acknowledge it as such. What you may think is your ideal may be the snare that has you weeping in the dark, hoping that the sun never rises. What you may think would be the blessings of all blessings might be quicksand you’ll never be free of. Trust God. Not in some things, but in all things, and the beauty of His way will one day be clear to you.

God is a constant. He is a fixed point, and wherever you are, you can look up to see Him, and as long as you are journeying toward Him, you know you’re headed in the right direction. Because He promised that if we seek Him, we will find Him, there is never confusion, doubt, or a sense of being lost and wandering about without purpose or direction. He is the north star of our spiritual walk, and wherever we may be, His presence helps us find our way and orient ourselves.

It’s when we ignore Him or think we know a shorter path to Him that we tend to get in trouble, and although He is still there, a beacon of light in a world of darkness, many pretend as though He’s not.

When we find ourselves in seemingly untenable situations, the first instinct is to look to the left and to the right, hoping someone within our circle of friends, acquaintances, or brothers and sisters in Christ will lend a hand. Most assuredly, there is a time and place for the help of friends and family, but we must never forget that our help comes from the Lord. He may use people to bring it about, but rather than look around us in panic, hoping someone will step up, our first reaction should be to look up, fix our eyes upon Him, and press ever onward. It’s not something that is inherent or instinctual. It’s a learned reaction based on lived experience, wherein we know that if we trust in Him, He will make a way.

I don’t mean to spoil the ending for you, but in his current state, shattered and broken, a boil-covered husk of his former self, Job could not have foreseen a means by which everything he’d lost would be restored to him, but what seems impossible to man is more than possible to God. I know my redeemer lives. I know He will make a way. That alone is enough to carry me through the dark seasons of this life.

With love in Christ,

Michael Boldea, Jr.