Raspberry Iced M

I’ve been thinking a lot about Job today. It’s funny because people around me like to say things like, “I’m in my Job season.” You know – when Murphy’s law kicks in and everything bad that could happen does happen and you’re laying in your bed at night wondering “Why me?!?”

I think what some people forget about the story of Job is that Job didn’t do anything wrong. It’s one thing to be tested when you’re an innocent bystander in the circumstances of your life. And all over the world, good people are being tested.

I can’t say that for myself. I have made so many mistakes and I’ve done so many things wrong, and I can’t (and don’t) blame a single person except for myself for the aftermath, consequences, or dissolved relationships that have come as a result of those wrongs.

So I don’t know if I’ve ever been able to say, “I’m in my Job season.” I know that right at this moment I feel incredibly blessed and I definitely don’t “deserve” it.

But here’s the thing – none of us “deserve” it. We all *deserve* death. Forgiveness, grace, mercy – those are all things available for the taking – even though we don’t deserve them.

I hope you’re not wallowing in regret or punishing yourself for your mistakes, because neither of those things will help you or anybody else. I hope you’re not doubting every decision you will ever make again just because you’ve made some bad ones, or impulsive ones, or selfish ones one second before right now. I hope that you don’t cling to your mistakes just because you spent a long time making them. And I hope you don’t allow someone else’s perception of you, or your mistakes, to shape your identity (this is something I really struggle with, and that is not my wish for anyone).

If you really are “in your Job season,” or if you’re just reaping what you’ve sown, I hope you’re thinking a lot less about what you deserve, and a lot more about asking for your freebies.