You know about what I am talking.
You pick what you thought was the shorter line at the supermarket, and the cashier has to call a manager for help for the person in front of you. You watch the next line over go through three customers before the manager even gets to your cashier. It figures.
You are running late to something and seem to get every red light on the way there. It figures.
You get a telephone call and forget to take supper out of the oven, and it gets overcooked. It figures.
Something happens that is not what you wanted, and you say, "It figures."
This is one of those expressions that annoys me. Yes, it annoys me. You may ask me why it annoys me. I may ask you, "Why does it figure?!"
Is your life so miserable that it just figures when something does not go your way? Do things go wrong in your life so consistently that you just figure that that is what is going to happen?
I would be surprised if you answered, "Yes," but if you did, and if that much is truly going wrong in your life, then perhaps it is time for you to make a change.
Is it your outlook that needs to change? Is it your attitude that needs to change? Is it where you put your focus that needs to change? Is it where you put your faith that needs to change?
Personally, right now in my life, I do not think that I know anyone who has it as bad as Job had it. Job was a wealthy man. In Job 1 and 2, in one day, he had more go wrong than one might imagine could happen in one day. Job's oxen, donkeys and camels were all stolen. A fire killed all of his sheep. Did Job say, "It figures?" No. In Job 1:21b, he said, "...the Lord giveth, and the Lord has taken away."
On another day, Job was afflicted "with painful sores from the soles of his feet to the crown of his head." (Job 2:7b) At this point, in verses 9 and 10:
His wife said to him, “Are you still maintaining your integrity? Curse God and die!”
He replied, “You are talking like a foolish woman. Shall we accept good from God, and not trouble?”
Wow.
This man's had a faith in the Lord that got him through the worst of times. Job lost just about everything possible, yet he maintained the right attitude and a strong faith in God. Does that make you think?
The next time that you are getting frustrated because you let someone pull out in front of you, and then you wind up getting the red light or because you are baking a cake for company in two hours and it comes out lopsided or.... When your instinct is to say, "It figures," maybe instead you can say, "Well, if that is the worst thing that happens to me today, I am doing great."
Maybe you could say, "Hey, at least I am not Job."
Oh, and if you are wondering what ever became of Job after all of that, check it out!
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Deed 12: We were at a restaurant this week, the kind where you take your trays back and throw away your own garbage. A group of men had left three tables with their trash on them, so I decided to clean off the tables. A friend who was with me helped me. The people working at the restaurant did not know that we did that, and that is just fine.
Deed 13: We went to the grocery store, and when we went to return our cart, I took a few minutes to gather the scattered carts and stack them neatly to make it easier for the person who would have to bring them back inside.
I needed this, DM! Thanks! When times get tough, we've got to remember it could be worse or someone else is suffering worse than we are. It's all in God's plan! And we grow stronger thru our rough times. We learn so much from the rough experiences, I think, than we do we the not-so rough experiences God is good. There's a reason everything happens. It's how we react that makes us the people we are.
ReplyDeleteI think we all can say when times are tough, "Well, at least I'm not Job"! I'm gonna' remember this!
Prayers for all!
Freida ;-0
Very good DawnMarie. Recently there has been some setbacks, roadblocks, bad weather and a death in our family. In light of it all, many blessings that may not have been obvious have comforted many in our family and relationships have grown stronger. We didn't figure on the loss, but welcome the strength that accompanied it. Nice Post.
ReplyDeleteOh, and I bet the maintainance people at the restuarant or grocery didn't "FIGURE" on getting any help.
Kathy < likes good deeds.
Not too long ago, I was one of those people who expected bad things to happen to me. I might not have always said "it figures", but I thought it often enough. Then, I lost my unemployment for a while. God has taught me that He will take care of me no matter what happens. I started trusting Him for other things, but I always held onto my finances. It was like I was telling Him that he didn't care about my money problems. In other areas of my life, He had already shown me that he cared multiple times. I believed Him for those areas, but my finances? When He allowed me to lose my job and I was a single parent? Nope, that proved He didn't care about my finances. Boy, was I wrong! I can finally say that I have the peace that surpasses all understanding as I realize that I was the one holding God back from the blessings He wanted to give me. I can almost picture Him saying "She needs to let go of that so I can help her". How foolish of me to think I can know the mind of God! His ways are higher than mine and I will never know His mind until I stand before Him with my changed body and mind.
ReplyDeleteMy God can do all things, and yes, I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me!
There have been moments, hours and days that I've felt I've had a lot in common with Job...but I am always continually reminded that God is good- He sees us through our darkest moments, and there is always something to be thankful for! God never promised easy, but He did promise He'd always be there with us- as always, He remains faithful in all of His promises. Waiting is hard, we want action NOW... but it's all in God's timing...which is PERFECT! Thanks DM...
ReplyDeleteI totally read this exact passage this week. Very helpful.
ReplyDelete