Job CCCXLIII

 In the life of every believer, there is a before and an after. There was a time when we were without understanding, but no longer. There was a time when we were without hope, but no longer. There was a time when we were dead in our trespasses, but now we have become alive in Christ. Perhaps there was even a time when, as Job, we spoke without understanding, and uttered things we did not understand, things too wonderful for us, which we did not know, but that was the before. It was before we surrendered, repented, humbled ourselves, and picked up our crosses to follow Him. It was before we denied ourselves, relinquished the illusion of control, and determined that we would follow wherever He led, we would obey whatever He spoke, and we would strive to be those good and faithful servants whom He will one day reward and welcome into His kingdom.

There is a turning point in the life of every soul who has been saved by the redemptive power of the blood of Christ. If you ask it of them, even decades later, those who have found peace, hope, and joy in Jesus can pinpoint and recall the day, the hour, even the minute this occurred, when the scales were removed from their eyes, the shackles removed from their wrists, the prison doors opened, and they were made free. No matter what one might achieve, how prominent they become, how well known or successful, that is the defining moment of their existence. They acknowledge the reality that once they were lost but are now found, blind but now they see, ignorant of the ways of God, but now possessing understanding of His love and grace.

Had Job been a proud man, he could have insisted he’d already known all the things God had said. He could have waved off the things he’d heard, failing to acknowledge that he’d uttered things he did not understand that were too wonderful for him, but Job’s heart remained true, and when God spoke he listened, and he was not reticent in confessing his lack of understanding.  

In a time when everyone pretends to know everything about everything, it’s becoming rare to find someone who will acknowledge their shortcomings or lack of understanding on a given topic. Even when their insistence that they knew what they didn’t know is proven demonstrably false, they will double down and insist that it’s not the case.

Diesel doesn’t go in a gasoline engine; that’s why your car’s not running. Oh, I knew that! Then why did you put diesel in your car? Shoulder shrug, roll of the eyes, and that’s that. It’s become harder to make that particular mistake since they’ve changed the nozzles and the ones for diesel are thicker than the ones for gasoline, but you’d be surprised at the lengths to which people will go to do something foolish, all the while insisting that they knew better.

Know what you don’t know and don’t pretend otherwise. When understanding comes, when what you didn’t know is revealed to you, be humble enough to acknowledge it and thank God for His grace and mercy in having shown it to you.

Lately, my daughters have gotten into slingshots. Granted, in hindsight it wasn’t the best idea, what with the windows and all, but they enjoy it enough that the constant dread of hearing a clay ball going through the kitchen window is worth it to me. As children are wont to do, the moment I brought the slingshots home, they grabbed them and started fumbling to see how they work.

I asked them for a minute of their time, showed them the proper way to hold it, load the clay ball into the sling, aim, pull back, and fire, to which the eldest quickly retorted, “Oh, I knew that!” Given that the rubber band had almost hit her in the face not once but twice in the little time she was trying to figure out how it worked, I was somewhat skeptical, but I let it go because it wasn’t worth the back and forth.

Sometime later, after they’d run through half a bag of clay balls trying to hit a target I’d taped to the back fence, Victoria walks into the house and says, “Daddy, thank you for showing us how the slingshots work. I didn’t really know how to use it, after all.”

My heart beamed with pride, not because she was thanking me for doing something that is my parental duty, but because she was humble enough to acknowledge that she hadn’t known something, was humble enough to receive instruction, and was the better for it in the end.

When God corrects us, it’s not to berate us, shame us, make us feel inferior, or belittle us. He corrects us with the singular desire to see us walking in His way, and showing us the means by which we can mature, grow our faith, and become the warriors we always said we wanted to be.

God corrected Job, and Job received correction as it was intended, not as something to be despised, rejected, or dismissed, but as a sign of His love and mercy.

Hebrews 12:5-9, “And you have forgotten the exhortation which speaks to you as to sons: “My son, do not despise the chastening of the Lord, nor be discouraged when you are rebuked by Him; for whom the Lord loves He chastens, and scourges every son who He receives.” If you endure chastening, God deals with you as with sons; for what son is there whom a father does not chasten? But if you are without chastening, of which all have become partakers, then you are illegitimate and not sons. Furthermore, we have had human fathers who corrected us, and we paid them respect. Shall we not much more readily be in subjection to the Father of spirits and live?”

I’m a girl dad. As I often say to my wife, if they were boys it would be different, from my tone to the level of correction I would have to employ, but I’m a girl dad. I have two wonderful, beautiful, bubbly, happy, independent daughters, both of whom inherited a double portion of sarcasm from yours truly. Each is unique in her own right, and as their father, I know the level of discipline, correction, and chastening each of them requires for the message to get through. More often than not, one raised eyebrow is enough for the eldest to take a breath and assess her actions. At the same time, her younger sister usually requires a conversation to get the point and take accountability for her actions.

Not all chastening is the same across the board. Not all correction is cookie-cutter, for while some require the mildest of rebukes to correct their behavior, others require a harsher response to their choices in order for them to see the error of their ways. God knows not only how many hairs you have on your head, but also your character, how you respond to conflict, what is required for Him to get through to you, and treats you as the individual you are.

With love in Christ,

Michael Boldea, Jr.