I don't even know how many weeks this whole pandemic thing has been going on. All I know is that going to the grocery store ain't what it used to be, and trying to work from home while the kiddos are here with me has been a challenge. It seems like it has been going on for a long time, yet I know that there are more days to come.
God is gracious. Jason is going to work every day, the kids are mostly content, I've adjusted to being at home with them well. Truthfully, I have had a great time of resetting as a mom, and determining what things in life are truly important, breathing life into my little family. The inconvenience of the lack of convenience really is my only complaint. I have fewer moments to steal away to be in the Word, and that has been on my mind these past few days so, instead of feeling sorry for my lack "Rachel" time, I sat in the chair and opened up the Good Book.
I'm in Job. NIce timing, right? I started reading through the Bible (yes, for the first time - don't judge me), but at my own pace. I don't need rules and restrictions placed on my crazy life. So this has found me now in Job. In case you have never read it, I might not recommend starting there if this is your first time through. It's not so much the Susie Sunshine kind of book; it falls way too in line with our current state of affairs. Poor Job has lost everything in a myriad of terrible ways, and while this is happening to him, a bunch of folks stand by letting him know why it's completely his fault.
After 32 some odd chapters of this, a younger man by the name of Elihu shows up to add in his two cents. He doesn't really condemn Job or the other guys for what they have said to Job, but he does feel a little bit like Job should be taking some of the responsibility for what is happening in his life. Elihu's statement to Job in chapter 33, verses 13-14 says," Why do you complain against Him that He does not give an account of all His doings? Indeed God speaks once, or twice yet no one notices it."
The crib notes version is this: God doesn't owe you anything, especially considering the number of times you have dismissed His speaking to you. Bam, mic drop by Elihu. Here is this younger guy telling his elder, "Get over yourself." Now to be clear, Job has been through it. Everything that happened to him was HARD. But no matter how hard things might seem or be, we must continue to seek God and listen to what He has to say. How often do we really listen? All the time or just when we really need Him? I'm so guilty of this. So, so guilty. Rarely is He first in my day. With that, if I only listen when I need Him, how much more of what He has to say am I missing out on? I would contend that I'm missing out on a lot.
This falls in line with those who say things like, "I prayed, but God didn't listen." Yikes, that's hard too. However, consider that He did listen, but we did not.
The season in which we find ourselves is hard. Harder for some. I have to wonder, was God trying to tell us something before all of this started? I mean, He knew it was going to happen! Why didn't He warn us? Or did He? Were we listening then? And are we listening now?
