Let me tell you about my friend who just visited. He’s 88 and loves life. He wants to live to be 120, especially now that he “learned not to control.”
He said, “I wonder why I was like that?” His wife died seven years ago, and he’s wondering why he felt that everything had to be his way.
He’s building a house. Also helping his girlfriend with her goat farm and properties, is interested in everything, loves learning. In short he has a great attitude even though he’s a bit hard of hearing and his ankle hurts from an old injury when he walks . You would never know it except that he limps.
I’ve know him for 40 years, haven’t seen him in 6 or 7, and he was so happy to see me, he was like a kid. It was heart warming. I wish he’d had more time to talk so I could find out what brought this great transformation. I’m guessing it was suffering.
He’s always been interested in everything and learning, but there has come more softening, more other-centeredness, more acceptance.
Those are the gifts suffering brings, and losing a spouse will bring them. Glad I haven’t had that experience yet, even though coming close brought its own gift.
Oh and speaking of suffering, Job is in preorder stage on Amazon. I’ll post the cover and link here since some of you have asked where to get it. https://www.amazon.com/Loves-Playbook-episode-Perception-Everything-ebook/dp/B01HLTG36W?ie=UTF8&ref_=pe_2427780_160035660.
I feel like I have just graduated from a university course on suffering. And what did Job learn from
intense suffering? That it’s better to go through it with God than without Them.
Suffering is getting bigger and more widespread, as we saw this week, soon there won’t be anyone, if there is now, who hasn’t been touched by intense suffering. I’ve said it here before, Jesus warned us to get close to God because the increase of evil activity will cause many hearts to grow cold. Suffering is a timely topic! Suffering brings out who we really are. Forces us to make choices. Brings understanding.
And there are several other important perspectives we can learn from Job. I think that must be why I was so impressed to make it the next book in this series of finding an all-loving, all-good God in scripture. Take care of your heart.
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