Looking for Reasons in All the Wrong Places

             When you see someone whose life is falling apart, what is your first reaction?  Be honest.  If their marriage is falling apart, our first reaction is often that one of them must have cheated.  If someone loses their job, we may think, “What did they do to make the boss that angry?”  The truth is that often, our first reaction is to assume that the individual is responsible for their problems.  Sometimes that’s true, but sometimes the trouble in our lives is the result of living in a fallen world.

            Job’s friends were just like us.  No matter how much he claimed his innocence and pleaded his case, they were convinced that his calamities were the result of sin(s) in his life.  They were confident that he just needed to confess his sin(s) and ask for forgiveness.  (Job 22:5 and 21 – 23). They were wrong!

            I wonder how often we might also be wrong.  Yes, marriages do fail because a spouse cheats, but the other spouse may be blameless.  People do get fired because they did not do their jobs properly, but it is just as likely that an economic downturn caused the elimination of their jobs.

            My point is that Christ told us not to judge (Matthew 7:1).  The most obvious reason is that we all have sinned, so we need to take a closer look at ourselves before we start judging others (Matthew 7:3-5).  I think another reason is that we seldom know the circumstances of another person’s life.  We are on the outside looking in, just like Job’s friends, and the picture from outside is far from clear.

            We need to be ready to listen when the person needs to talk.  We need to pray for them and with them. That’s what it means to encourage one another and build each other up (I Thessalonians 5:11 NIV84).  But when it comes to determining the “why”, let’s stick to our own lives. The “searching” for answers needs to start with our own hearts (Psalm 139:23 - 24). Let’s examine ourselves to determine if there is unconfessed sin causing our troubles.  Then, knowing that not every trial or trouble is the result of sin, let’s thank God that when we walk through the fire, He is right there with us (Deuteronomy 31:8).

Job 22:5, 21 – 23

Matthew 7:1, 3 – 5

I Thessalonians 5:11

Psalm 139:23 – 24

Deuteronomy 31:8

 

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