If you are still following along in our Bible reading schedule, you know we are into Job. So much can be said of Job, and we will get to that; but today, I want to touch on Job's friends.
This past fall I read a book with a group of friends, Just Show Up by Kara Tippetts.
The book was an easy read, but challenging at the same time as I was quickly emotionally pulled in. The women who partnered together to write this book authored it at a very difficult time in their lives. Their transparency gives us a raw look at walking through suffering with those who are hurting. I found it to be a great tool in how to love others in their darkest moments.
So let's talk about Job's friends...
The first thing I noticed about these men was that they each came from his own place. I am not a geographical scholar. I have no idea about the distance these men lived from Job, but I do know that they showed up. I live in a metropolitan area. Most often when my friends are in need, I'm looking at a 15 minute commute; yet it can seem daunting. Why? It's not necessarily the distance; it's the interruption of the daily routine, the plans, life in general. Job's friends did not let life keep them from reaching out to Job. Maybe they had jobs, maybe they had families, maybe they had responsibilities; however, they put life on hold and "made an appointment together to come to show him sympathy and comfort him."
Next we read that "they raised their voices and wept, and tore their robes..." Romans 12:15 exhorts us to "weep with those who weep." I grew up in the Chicagoland area in a very conservative church. We did not learn to show this kind of emotion with others. We learned to "be strong" and "hold it together." I want to grow in this area. These men displayed their compassion and grieved with Job. They loved him in his agony.
Finally, I want to highlight that "they sat with him on the ground seven days and seven nights, and no one spoke a word to him, for they saw that his suffering was very great." Sometimes people refrain from reaching out to a hurting friend because they don't know what to say. For seven days, Job's friends said nothing. They just showed up. I'm sure it wasn't easy, but they were there.
Now, we know that later in the book of Job things will go south with Job's friends. Today, though, I want to focus on what they did right, not what they did wrong.
When was the last time that you stepped out of your comfort zone, wept with a friend, and gave of your time to comfort him? Are you even aware of your friends' and loved ones' needs? Are you too busy? Are you afraid? Are you uncomfortable? I'm sure it won't be easy, but it's needed! Educate yourself on how to reach out and "bear ye one another's burdens and so fulfill the law of Christ."
Just Show Up by Kara Tippetts
The Art of Helping
This past fall I read a book with a group of friends, Just Show Up by Kara Tippetts.
The book was an easy read, but challenging at the same time as I was quickly emotionally pulled in. The women who partnered together to write this book authored it at a very difficult time in their lives. Their transparency gives us a raw look at walking through suffering with those who are hurting. I found it to be a great tool in how to love others in their darkest moments.
So let's talk about Job's friends...
The first thing I noticed about these men was that they each came from his own place. I am not a geographical scholar. I have no idea about the distance these men lived from Job, but I do know that they showed up. I live in a metropolitan area. Most often when my friends are in need, I'm looking at a 15 minute commute; yet it can seem daunting. Why? It's not necessarily the distance; it's the interruption of the daily routine, the plans, life in general. Job's friends did not let life keep them from reaching out to Job. Maybe they had jobs, maybe they had families, maybe they had responsibilities; however, they put life on hold and "made an appointment together to come to show him sympathy and comfort him."
Next we read that "they raised their voices and wept, and tore their robes..." Romans 12:15 exhorts us to "weep with those who weep." I grew up in the Chicagoland area in a very conservative church. We did not learn to show this kind of emotion with others. We learned to "be strong" and "hold it together." I want to grow in this area. These men displayed their compassion and grieved with Job. They loved him in his agony.
Finally, I want to highlight that "they sat with him on the ground seven days and seven nights, and no one spoke a word to him, for they saw that his suffering was very great." Sometimes people refrain from reaching out to a hurting friend because they don't know what to say. For seven days, Job's friends said nothing. They just showed up. I'm sure it wasn't easy, but they were there.
Now, we know that later in the book of Job things will go south with Job's friends. Today, though, I want to focus on what they did right, not what they did wrong.
When was the last time that you stepped out of your comfort zone, wept with a friend, and gave of your time to comfort him? Are you even aware of your friends' and loved ones' needs? Are you too busy? Are you afraid? Are you uncomfortable? I'm sure it won't be easy, but it's needed! Educate yourself on how to reach out and "bear ye one another's burdens and so fulfill the law of Christ."
Just Show Up by Kara Tippetts
The Art of Helping
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