Developing a Different Perspective to Help You Win at Life Part 6
“It is however, the continuing that is the difficult thing to do – but like a baby learning to crawl then walk, you must keep getting up and keep trying until you win…” — Rick Cox
Job was another optimist. How could he not be? He made the comment, “Though God slay me, yet will I trust Him.” He also said, For I know my redeemer lives and that He shall stand at the latter day upon the earth; and though after the skin worms destroy this body, yet in my flesh shall I see God; whom I shall see for myself, and my eyes shall behold, and not another; though my reins be consumed within me.”
These statements were made long after a servant comes to him to tell him the Sabeans had slain all of his servants that were with the plowing oxen and the donkeys. But one does escape to tell him the rest were killed and his livestock had been stolen. Not long after this another servant comes and says a fire from the sky had come down and burned up all of his sheep and servants. Shortly thereafter, another comes to tell him that three bands of the Chaldeans had come and taken the camels and killed the servants. Right after this another servant comes to tell him the home his oldest son, where all of his children had been celebrating, had been destroyed by a strong wind and all of his sons and daughters, had died. This was also after he has been hearing from his supposed friends about his sinful life and how is he paying for his own sins and that he should not be so optimistic.
Unfortunately, his wife, it appears was not there to be a helpmate but to be an extra burden and weight, tells him to curse God and die. His friends tell him to “assume the position” of being defeated. He does not. It is because he believes all will work to his good that they believe he is acting self-righteous. That simply isn’t true. He knew his standing with God. He believed God loved him and he believed God would do right by him. His optimistic faith is what God knew of him and this, though tragic and traumatic for Job, is what God knew would put this doubt and unbelief in its place and it did. It proved satan (not capitalized on purpose as doubt and unbelief isn’t that important as to need a capital letter) and the other so-called friends to be doubters and not supporters of his faith and belief.
Job stayed true to what he believed in his heart and what he believed turned out to be right. He wound up with twice what he had previously. We have to realize this is our race to run and no one else’s. We are not supposed to try and make sense of what is going on in someone else’s race. That is not for us to judge. We simply need to support our friends when they are in need and Job could have used that support. None the less, he stuck to his guns in spite of all of those that stood against him. Haven’t you been there before? Of course, you have, for all of us have at one time or another. The key is, regardless of what those around us think, they are not walking our walk or living our life. We must follow our hearts BUT more importantly, we must be optimistic and make sure we are of the belief that all will work to our good as Job was even when his life was falling apart.
Then there was David. He was called a man after God’s own heart and yet the heartache and turmoil he faced and suffered would have broken most, but it didn’t break him. Allow me to digress, for when you think of Joseph, who at a young age had dreams of grandeur and yet wound up being sold into slavery, serving time in prison and then finally achieving that dream, how could this happen without him remaining optimistic? In most cases the person would have been bitter and thrown their life away. Joseph did not AND neither did David. David was a teenage boy when the prophet Samuel anointed him to be king of Israel. Did that happen overnight? No, like Joseph’s dream, it took years to fulfill.
It is as if God is providing us with a glimpse of what can be IF we will be faithful and continue with the belief that all will work to our good. Abraham did. Joseph did. Nehemiah did. And David did. For thirteen years David was tested, having his life threatened over and over before becoming king. After becoming king, he faced numerous challenges. Some by God’s allowance and others because of his own poor decisions. He was even chased out of his own palace by his son. He found himself to be in the same place he had been when Saul tried to kill him. He was hiding in caves. This is not where we want to be later in life, but none the less he was there and like all of the times before, he believed all would work to his good. This, and his ability to forgive his own shortcomings is why God called him and man after His own heart. He believed God would forgive and he believe God would make all things work to his good.
That is what we need to do in our lives, believe we are forgiven, forgive others and believe all will work to our good. This way we can move into tomorrow free of yesterday’s failures and free to become all we were meant to be.
Best of LUCK as you
Labor Under Correct Knowledge…
Respectfully,
Rick Cox