Job CLXIX

 Job 15:27-35, “Though he has covered his face with fatness, and made his waist heavy with fat, he dwells in desolate cities, in houses which no one inhabits, which are destined to become ruins. He will not be rich, nor will his wealth continue, nor will his possession overspread the earth. He will not depart from darkness; the flame will dry out his branches, and by the breath of His mouth he will go away. Let him not trust in futile things, deceiving himself, for futility is his reward. It will be accomplished before his time, and his branch will not be green. He will shake off his unripe grape like a vine, and cast off his blossom like an olive tree. For the company of hypocrites will be barren, and fire will consume the tents of bribery. They conceive trouble and bring forth futility; their womb prepares deceit.”

What Eliphaz was saying, generally speaking, was not so far off the mark. Yes, people who only focus on themselves, on their possessions, and the accumulation thereof, are shortsighted and soon come to ruin. Eventually, they will dwell in desolate cities that no one inhabits because those who can venture forth to find better bosses, better wages, and better hours do so.

In some countries, it’s gotten so bad that it’s been classified as an epidemic. Romania, my country of birth, is a perfect case study. The few jobs that do exist pay next to nothing; the young and able-bodied have no choice but to leave in search of a better future, and once-thriving communities are reduced to a handful of elderly souls trying to survive, and those who didn’t have the means or courage to venture forth.

We earn our daily bread with the sweat of our brow. Whether that entails swinging a hammer, running a mower, emptying a bin, milking a cow, plucking a chicken, working a grill, or trying not to fall asleep behind the counter at your local sip-n-go because you’re stuck on third shift for the third day straight, we all must earn our daily bread somehow.

Very few people have the grace to love what they do. Most see their jobs as a necessary evil, something that must be drudged through and endured, and doubly so when the person in charge isn’t of noble character, or is so obtuse as to believe that if you mistreat a good employee, they’ll continue to perform optimally until the day they get the Walmart sheet cake and a thank you for your service speech thirty years hence.

It’s always refreshing to run across someone who genuinely enjoys being where they are, as far as employment is concerned. Whether a waitress who has been serving drinks and greasy breakfasts since the diner had hitching posts out front, or the young, fresh-faced microwave engineer who offers to make you an on-the-spot gas station grilled cheese because the one that’s out has been there since the weekend, it’s nice to see someone enthusiastic about their job. Usually, the fact that they are being treated well in whatever capacity they are employed goes a long way to keeping the individual content and excited about performing their current tasks.

Treat people how you’d like to be treated, doubly so if it’s someone working for you or in your business. The small, the insecure, those with a chip on their shoulder and a need to prove their dominance will berate, talk down to, and abuse those under them consistently, and with not an ounce of mercy. The bottom line is the only thing that matters, and although Eliphaz was mistaken in insinuating Job was such a man, who was only concerned about himself, his wealth, and his well-being, the overall tenor of his discourse is both reasonable and worth taking to heart.

Although Solomon was more succinct when he said, “vanity of vanities all is vanity”, as was Jesus when He asked, “What will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his soul?”, Eliphaz was more verbose in his oratory, while reaching the same conclusion.

Everything men build is destined to become ruins. The only question is how long it will take for it to occur. Men have built palaces, temples, statues, castles, and monuments all in the hope that they will be remembered, that their name will outlive them, and unless they were remarkable in some form or fashion beyond the monuments they built, their names are long forgotten and their monuments long abandoned.

There are two absolute realities which no man can circumvent: Nothing built by the hands of man lasts forever, and no matter how much one squirrels away, you can’t take any of it with you when it’s time to shuffle off this mortal coil.

Even so, men have tried —and try to this day — to leave a lasting legacy, usually by way of some monument or statue, or by having their name on the wing of a building, but, given enough time, try as they might, a handful of generations hence, they are remembered no more.

Thankfully, there are those — perhaps a handful in every generation — who understand that, though history may forget their names, eternity never will. As such, their focus isn’t on building edifices of brick and mortar, but on sowing in the lives of others, being kind and charitable, and understanding that there is a life beyond this present one, and that it is toward that next life we all travel with each breath that leaves our lungs.

What that looks like depends on the individual. Whether they teach, mentor, counsel, lead by example, or provide a hot meal for a family in need, there are countless ways to practice selflessness if we are so inclined. Sometimes the giving of one’s time is more precious to someone than any amount of money could ever be, whether it’s a shoulder to cry on, someone to confide in, or simply being present to ensure the individual in question that they are not alone.

Something as seemingly insignificant to anyone save for the person in question, as reading a book or the Bible to one who is bedridden or in a retirement home, will be remembered long after the gaudy lion statues at the end of your drive will have been bulldozed and razed.

I’ve never seen anyone’s face light up the way a group of retirees did when the music teacher my daughter goes to decided to put on a concert for them. They weren’t master cellists or violinists; a couple of them missed a note or five, but every face in attendance had a broad smile on their countenance, and seemed enraptured at the sight of elementary school-aged children playing instruments before them. Kindness, in whatever form or iteration, pays dividends.  

With love in Christ,

Michael Boldea, Jr.