The Patience of Job
I have sometimes been accused of having “the patience of Job.” Not only is this giving me more credit when it comes to patience than I deserve, it also misrepresents the story of Job.
Since Job is a hard (sometimes boring) story to read, it is handy to have a quick summary. Job is about a guy who loses everything and yet never lets his faith waver. With formidable patience he endures until the inevitable rescue by God finally arrives. Unfortunately, that is not the real story of Job.
This is what Job is really about (you should read it sometime). Job is about a guy who loses everything. He is devastated and even wants to die. Each day is a struggle. All he wants is to stand before God and plead his case. He begs and begs for this opportunity without ever showing a sign of patience.
Why do I bring this up?
The problem is that we sometimes have these popular versions of Bible stories that have little to do with what the Bible actually says. Nothing beats reading the actual Bible stories.
Having reflected on the real story of Job, I am thinking that maybe I do have the patience of Job after all.
