Job and his wife

When we first received a diagnosis for our son, our faith was somewhat shaken.  We asked God lots of tough questions:

• Don't you love this child?
• Don't you care that his life will be hard?
• Do you really think we are equipped for the job of parenting him?
• Couldn't you have chosen a different family?

We were really angry at the world and at God, but after living with it for several years now, and being on the recovery side of autism, it's hard to look back and really capture exactly what we were feeling.

There is no shortage of Biblical characters who experienced trials.  Job immediately comes to my mind when I think of suffering,   I read a blog post a few months ago, which was several years after I was past all of these feelings and had made peace with God, but it took my breath away with its authenticity and rawness. It was written by my friend, Mary Evelyn, who, by the way, is a hoot.  She has been writing about her journey with her husband and precious son, Simeon, who happens to have spina bifida.  I asked her if I could share what she wrote about the Biblical character she related to because what she wrote is just so good and I couldn't say it any better. So, with her permission...

Mary Evelyn Smith presents:

Job's Wife

"Then the LORD answered Job from the whirlwind:"Who is this that questions my wisdom with such ignorant words? Brace yourself, because I have some questions for you, and you must answer them. Where were you when I laid the foundations of the earth?"
--Job 38:1-4 NLT

I don't understand the book of Job.

Now, before I begin, I feel I should point out that there really is no comparison to the guy.  I understand my troubles are nowhere near his.  I've got nothing on Job but even though I'm not sitting in ashes and scraping myself with potsherds, I am in the midst of quite a struggle and he's been on my mind.


So, I just don't get it.  I don't understand why we're okay with this story and personally, I think it's pretty rotten.

Highlights from The Book of Job (Mev style):

Act One:

Here comes Job!  What a fantastic guy!  How could God not notice such upstanding behavior?  Give this guy some cattle!  Give this guy some sons and daughters!

Act Two:

God: Boy, do I love Job!

Satan: He only acts so great because you're nice to him.

God:  Wanna bet?

Act Three:

Look out, Job!  No more cattle.  No more sons and daughters.  Eww!  You've got boils and all manner of nasty stuff going on.  Sheesh.  Still praising the Lord, I see.  If you insist.

Job: Blessed be the name of the Lord.  He gives me stuff and he takes it away.  Whatever he wants.

Job's Wife: (giant eye-roll) Ugh, are you kidding me?!  Curse God and die.

Job: You sure are a foolish woman. 

Act Four:

Job wishes he were dead and his buddies proceed to give him a bunch of bad advice.

Act Five:

God asks Job a bunch of rhetorical questions (Where were you when I made the earth?  Could you catch a sea monster?) and Job admits that God is in charge and all-knowing.  God blesses Job with more cattle and more sons and more daughters (the oldest daughter was named Jemima by the way.  Who knew that was a Biblical name?). 

THE END

So there it is.  When I heard this story growing up, Job's wife seemed like quite the villain.  I remember sitting in Bible class (Christian School!) and learning about this monster of a woman.  I imagined her sulky and plump , waving off Job's wise words and grumpily sassing back her famous line-- curse God and die!  What a sourpuss!  But now, in the midst of my own troubles, her response makes a lot more sense to me than Job's goody-two-shoes behavior.  I know we should be like Job, but can we really blame his wife for her frustration?  Those were her sons and daughters too.

I'm trying to be like Job.  I'm trying to stay faithful but in the past few days I've felt more like the story's villain than its hero.  I am angry at God for not intervening.  I don't understand why He isn't easing our circumstances.  Sometimes I feel like He doesn't care about my son.  I love Simeon and I would do anything to make this easier for him.  If God's love is bigger than mine, why does he seem so far away?

Job wondered why he was born only to suffer.  He wished for his own death.  He wished he had never been born.  But he was never angry at God.  How could that be?  

Tomorrow I will be Job.  Today I am his wife.

"But Job replied, 'You talk like a godless woman.  Should we accept only good things from the hand of God and never anything bad?' So in all this Job said nothing wrong"

--Job 2:10 NLT

You can find Mary Evelyn's blog here:

http://whatdoyoudodear.blogspot.com