![\"Job](\"http:\/\/commons.wikimedia.org\/wiki\/File%3AJob_and_his_friends.jpg\")
<\/a> Have you ever been talked to by one of Job\u2019s friends? Maybe it went something like this, \u201cI\u2019m so sorry you\u2019re having to go through this. God must be trying to teach you a really important lesson.\u201d Now we all know that difficult times and trials that come our way definitely do something to our character, either for better or for worse, but when you are in the midst of a trial, to be told that \u201cGod must be trying to teach you something\u201d is like vinegar to the wound. That makes the trial worse not better.<\/p>\nI have a few friends whose children are suffering from severe health issues. One of these moms commented awhile ago that she had become keenly aware of judgmental people since they had started battling with the health issues. And that it hurt to drop some friendships, but she has to put her energy into her child, not into high-maintenance relationships. Another said that she doesn\u2019t ever want to hear that \u201cGod never gives anyone more than they can handle.\u201d Her point being that, many are given more than they can handle, but with God all things are possible. One mom was told that her child had a disability because she (the mom) didn\u2019t have enough faith in God. When my brother was still alive, somebody told him that if he had more faith, he would be healed. My brother told me, \u201cThat man just doesn\u2019t know. It takes more faith to keep believing, even when you\u2019re not cured. Being healed would be the easy route.\u201d One man at my brother\u2019s memorial service kept saying to my sister-in-law, a new widow that \u201cIt was God\u2019s will. Right? Right?\u201d<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Well, there may be an ounce or even a pound of truth in some of these comments, but they are just not comforting. Maybe Job\u2019s friends had truth in what they were saying, but they were not helping Job at all. Too often as Christians, we make comments that sound like they came straight out of the mouths of Job\u2019s friends.<\/p>\n
So have you met Job\u2019s friends? If, so be strong and of a good courage. Job was rewarded for being faithful even when his friends tempted him. Or have you been one of Job\u2019s friends? I know I have acted the part of Job\u2019s friends a few times. I want to be changed. I find this commendation to be very fitting. \u201cBear one another\u2019s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ. \u00a0For if anyone thinks himself to be something, when he is nothing, he deceives himself.\u201d Galatians 6:2, 3.<\/p>\n
Lord, help us to be filled with Your love and to lift the burdens of those who are being especially tried, and please forgive us for when we have made others burdens even heavier.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" I’ve decided to share one of the lessons that I have learned this summer. I don\u2019t want to be like Job\u2019s friends. A few months ago our pastor preached a sermon about Job, which included thoughts on his friends. I have been contemplating it ever since. I have come to the conclusion that Job\u2019s friends […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[22],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.preparationeducation.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/782620"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.preparationeducation.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.preparationeducation.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.preparationeducation.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.preparationeducation.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=782620"}],"version-history":[{"count":17,"href":"http:\/\/www.preparationeducation.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/782620\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":782692,"href":"http:\/\/www.preparationeducation.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/782620\/revisions\/782692"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.preparationeducation.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=782620"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.preparationeducation.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=782620"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.preparationeducation.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=782620"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}