We Are All Like Job.

Who was Job? He lived in Uz, he was blameless, he had complete integrity, he feared God, he stayed away from evil, he was married with seven kids, and he was the richest person in the entire area. Ok, so we aren't exactly like him biographically or characteristically...but we are like him foundationally. 

How so? We go through varying tests and trials...not necessarily in the same quantity or variety that Job did, but with the same ultimate purposes. We have a choice about how to respond to these tests and trials. We have people around us who have opinions about what the trials mean and what we need to do in the midst of them. We have our own ideas of how we can affect our circumstances for the better...how we think something should go. We sometimes voice our opinions to God, only be humbled by the response. We have the choice to remain faithful to the end. 

Sometimes we go through something and never receive any clarity on the purpose of that particular trial...we don't get an immediate answer from The Lord or instructions on how to apply what we may have learned, but the answer could come weeks, months, or even years later. Job called out to The Lord several times (over what could have been a long span of time) before The Lord responded. And His response was not necessarily what Job expected...Job had been pleading his case to The Lord, advocating for his own righteousness and blamelessness. We were told from the outset of Job's story that he was blameless, feared God, stayed away from evil, and had complete integrity...so from our human perspective, Job had every right to remind The Lord of these things. But when God responded, He reminded Job if His sovereignty and providence over all things, since the creation of the world...He didn't condemn Job or talk about how sinful he was, but He reminded Job of His incredible power.  Just as Job did not know that his hardships began as a result of Satan's challenge to God, we do not now why our hardships begin...only that The Lord us faithful to strengthen us and herald His glory through them. 

God can be trusted. He is our ever-present help. He is our Deliverer. He works for His glory and our good. 

Growth and Movement.

I find it quite intriguing and significant that the main purpose of my now bi-weekly doctor's appointments is to monitor the growth and movement of the baby. It makes sense, of course, but it is also a compelling concept. 

The nurse asks me how I am feeling and takes my vitals, but the objective of each check-up is to find out how much the baby is moving and growing. Too little progress is concerning, and would necessitate further study and action. 

Even as children, our visits to the doctor are intended to measure and record our growth. But at some point, we stop physically growing. The doctor knows that we have reached our peak height, so they no longer need to measure and record our progress. 

May this not ever be the model of our spiritual growth! It would be so easy to fall into complacency with our spiritual maturity when we reach physical maturity, but there is so much more to learn, to ingest, to teach, and to demonstrate. Just as our doctors tracked and analyzed our physical growth while we were younger, we should seek honest evaluations of our spiritual growth through prayer, self-reflection, and accountability with other believers. Too little progress in our spiritual growth is just as concerning, and should alert us to the need for further study and action. 

Spiritual growth does not look the same for everyone, and is quite difficult to measure, as there is not a standard scale or classification system. Rather, our spiritual growth is defined by our dedication to the Lord's purposes over all else, our desire to know Him more every day, our selfless love demonstrated to others, our connection to the Lord's heart, and our complete surrender of all that we are and have to the One who created us in the first place. (This is an incomplete list, but these are the qualities that are currently relevant.) 

It is just as important (if not more so) for us to pray that our little Squirt grows big and strong spiritually as it is that he grows big and strong physically. The doctors think his physical growth is crucial enough for them to check it every other week...do we evaluate our own spiritual lives that frequently?