I woke up this morning to discover this view outside the front door of our home. Where overnight the forces of nature had been unleashed to cover the earth with a blanket of snow.
This uninvited, heavy snowfall will interrupt our daily routines and force all of us to adapt.
It stirred me to think about The Book of Job and how Job unexpectedly faced overwhelming losses and unmerited suffering. And how he and his companions wrestled to understand why he had to face such adversity.
Then God asks Job a series of questions. Questions that invited Job and his companions to consider the hard and the beautiful things of life.
Why had the world been created? Who had decided how each inhabitant and each aspect of creation was to be formed? Who ultimately manages all its intricate details? Why does life unfold in the inexplicable, unexpected ways that it does? And why does a good God allow his world and his beloved creatures to suffer?
While Job never did get the answers he was seeking, he did get an answer. He found it in God, in the Creator who does know all the answers. And in the end, knowing God ws more than enough for Job…..
“Does the rain have a father,
or who has fathered the drops of the dew?
From whose womb does the ice emerge,
and the frost from the sky, who gives birth to it,
when the waters become hard like stone,
when the surface of the deep is frozen solid?” – Job 38:28-30
My soon to be published book focuses on The Book of Job and what it can teach us about suffering and how we can become more consoling companions as we face and walk through suffering experiences. To be released in summer, 2020 by As You Wish Publishing!
#Ilovemypublishers #KyraSchaefer#ToddSchaefer #asyouwishpublishing
Melissa McLaughlinJanuary 16, 2020 7:44 pm
What a beautiful snowy surprise! And yes, these beautiful moments also come with interruptions and difficulties that are far from lovely. I recently completed an online seminary class on the book of Job. The layers of truth went far deeper than I ever knew. I look forward to your book and pray God’s blessings over the whole endeavor!
These lines:
While Job never did get the answers he was seeking, he did get an answer. He found it in God, in the Creator who does know all the answers. And in the end, knowing God was more than enough for Job.
Yes, yes, yes! In the end, the God of all creation is enough!
Anne Mackie MorelliJanuary 17, 2020 9:16 am
Melissa, how interesting that you also took a class on the Book of Job, as I also took a seminary class that focused on the book of Job and that is what prompted me to write my book. As a registered clinical counsellor I was fascinated by what it taught me about suffering, through the lens of the Christian faith, and how we can all become more consoling comforters in suffering experiences! You make a great observation about how the book has many layers, and many truths. What seminary program are you in enrolled in?
Melinda Viergever InmanJanuary 17, 2020 5:22 am
I love how you honed in on the essential nature of the questions God asks through both the events he allows to touch our lives and through his own words: “Then God asks Job a series of questions. Questions that invited Job and his companions to consider the hard and the beautiful things of life.” The hard and the beautiful things, when pondered over, questioned, and contemplated open the door to faith, to real acceptance of the good and the bad, and to a deeper understanding of God. Thank you for this excellent and insightful post, Anne. Your book sounds amazing!
Anne Mackie MorelliJanuary 17, 2020 9:11 am
Thanks for visiting The Stones Call Melinda and for commenting. You make a good point about how the tough circumstances that God allows to occur in our life, stir us to reflect and provoke questions we may not ask otherwise. As we process loss and suffering we do contemplate the hard and the beautiful – wondering why a good God allows good people to suffering, where is God in our suffering, how will I manage to get through this trial. Processing these questions will help us to build a greater understanding and appreciation of God and a greater compassion towards others who are suffering. Thanks for your encouragement about my book. Just working on some re-writing before it heads off to the publishers at the end of March!
Emily | To UnearthJanuary 17, 2020 5:34 am
Congratulations on your upcoming book! How exciting! And what a much-needed topic for us to remember, study and grow in daily.
Anne Mackie MorelliJanuary 17, 2020 9:05 am
Emily, welcome to The Stones Call. Thanks for your encouraging words! As I have been studying, researching and learning about the Book of Job and written the book, there are days where I felt like I was invited into the narrative and found myself sitting with Job and his companions and joining in their conversations. As we wrestled with the questions and issues my theology of suffering was transformed and I was able to process my own suffering. So while studying suffering through the lens of our Christian faith is a challenging topic for sure, the process has helped me grow in my understanding and in my sensitive towards others in their suffering.
Anne Mackie MorelliFebruary 27, 2020 5:03 pm
Thanks so much for your encouraging comments Emily! Loss and suffering are such tough topics, but one we need to learn about so that we can become consoling companions for each other as we walk through winter seasons. Thanks for visiting The Stones Call!
Jessica BrodieJanuary 17, 2020 6:29 am
What a good word. The Book of Job is such a powerful one. You are right — we don’t know WHEN trouble/anything will hit, but we do know God is by our side.
Anne Mackie MorelliJanuary 17, 2020 9:00 am
Jessica, thanks for dropping by The Stones Call. Yes, throughout our lifetimes our journey will be interrupted many times with unexpected, inexplicable events. And while we may not know around the corner, we do know that God is walking alongside us! What a comfort that is!
Joshua J MastersFebruary 27, 2020 1:43 pm
Congratulations on the upcoming publication of your book. May it inspire and encourage people as Jesus leads. We can’t always control our circumstances, can we? Praise God that he has a plan that’s bigger than our limited scope of vision.
Anne Mackie MorelliFebruary 27, 2020 5:02 pm
Thank you so much Joshua, for both visiting The Stones Call and for your encouraging comments. I do pray that the book changes how we view suffering, how we lean into suffering and become consoling companions rather than miserable companions like Job’s friends. Yes, we cannot control our circumstances but thankfully we have a good, wise, benevolent God who does!