Wherein Lies the Hope?

Another lesson to be learned from studying the life and trials of Job has to do with guilt and regret. Next to immense feelings of sadness, my experience (both personally and in facilitating group discussions with other grievers) is that these two emotions are nearly universal. Everyone seems to have some area of doubt about what they could have/should have/would have done differently to possibly prolong the life of their loved one or to make the last interactions with them better. I have heard “I should have noticed the symptoms earlier,” or “We should have chosen a different doctor,” or “I could have driven my daughter to the store instead of allowing her to take the car on her own,” or “I wish I hadn’t argued with my husband that morning.” Such thoughts are traumatic and overwhelming, particularly in the early stages of grief. How can we escape such mental torture?

As mentioned before, Job underwent incredible suffering - loss of children, possessions, and health. The reader knows the story behind the story - that God had praised Job in the presence of Satan, and that Satan had challenged God to see if Job would still be faithful to Him if all were taken away. By the end of the book, we saw (previous post) that Job aced the test and was greatly praised by God Himself. But in the midst of his pain and anguish, before everything was restored to him, he was still able to say: “The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away: blessed be the name of the Lord.' (Job 1:21)

Wherein lies the hope? For me it is in the realization that I don’t know what has gone on in the Heavenly councils to bring about my present suffering. Like Job, I have not been made privy to the conversations that might have taken place. But I do know this: The Lord gives, and the Lord takes away. Blessed be the name of the Lord.