Waiting for the Whirlwind

 “So, Satan answered the Lord and said, “Does Job fear God for nothing? Have you not made a hedge around him, around his household, and around all that he has on every side? You have blessed the work of his hands, and his possessions have increased in the land. But now stretch out your hand and strike all that he has, and he will surely curse You to Your face.”  Job 1: 9-11

The Book of Job is considered by most biblical scholars to be the oldest book of the Bible. It’s the story of a rebellious spiritual being, Satan, who confronts God with a challenge.  The challenge takes place in front of the heavenly hosts called the Sons of God. God is convinced that Job honors and obeys Him for no reason other than He is God. Satan claims that Job’s worship of God is based entirely on the blessings he is enjoying in the here and now.  Take away his wealth and family; and ultimately his health and Satan is confident that Job will shake his fist at God and spew out curses against Him.

 

For reasons only He knows, God accepts the challenge and turns Satan loose on Job.  Satan is permitted to destroy Job’s worldly possessions, his loved ones and his health.  God says, “Do your worst, but do not take Job’s life.” Indeed, Satan does his worst. Job is left with nothing but a lonely and bitter wife. He is covered in painful sores and wishes he’d never been born. Things get so bad that his wife tells him to just curse God and die.  Advice which Job summarily rejects.  

 

His life-long friends show up ostensibly to comfort him. But their visit turns into an inquisition as they are convinced that Job is being punished for sinful behavior and his only salvation would be to confess and plead guilty before it’s too late. Job refuses to admit wrongdoing.  He knows that he has been faithful and obedient to God. Up until these disasters fell upon him, Job and God were close and he was blessed in every way. Job doesn’t understand why all of this has happened, but he knows it’s not punishment for some sin he has committed.  He demands an audience with God. In Job’s mind, God has some explaining to do.

 

Eventually God has had enough of Job’s friends’ bad theology and Job’s demands for answers. God does show up, but not before a young man by the name of Elihu rebukes Job and his friends.  He had waited patiently for his turn to speak and when Elihu cuts loose he not only tells the older men and Job where they are wrong, he also offers up a powerful introduction for what is about to come. It’s worth noting that in Hebrew the name Elihu translates as “my God is He”.

 

God then shows up in a whirlwind and sets the record straight not by answering Job’s questions, but by asking Job questions.  After brow-beating Job with questions about His power, how it is He who created all that exists and how it is He who sustains it; God ask Job, “Shall the one who contends with the Almighty correct Him? He who rebukes God, let him answer it.” Job offers a weak response and admits that he is simply a vile human being and will speak no more. Then to put a fine point on His message, God asks, “Would you indeed annul My judgement?  Would you condemn Me that you may be justified?”

 

There it is, the non-answer answer and the only answer that matters. When tragedy strikes us and it will strike each of us in this life, likely more that once; we must come to terms with it and how we can believe there is a good and merciful God out there somewhere. Is He there? Does He Care? If He does care, why did He cause or allow this to happen?

 

Job’s eyes were opened.  He replies to the Lord, “I know you can do everything and no purpose of Yours can be withheld from You. … Therefore, I have uttered what I did not understand, things to wonderful for me which I did not know. … I abhor myself and repent in dust and ashes.”

 

Job’s story has a happy ending.  Everything he lost is restored to him and more.  He truly was a blessed man.  Unfortunately for most who suffer great loss, they are not restored in this life. They are left with the memory of what once was and is no more.  They can choose to keep the faith and look to the hope of resurrection and restoration.  Or they can turn their back on God and lose that which is left and is to come as they drift into the darkness of unbelief.  Or they can keep asking God for answers and wait for the whirlwind.

Fair Warning

 

Texans tend to be independent, fearless and stubborn; especially the older, native-born Texans and those living outside of major urban centers.  We’ll spend money on pipe and cable fencing that cost four or five times more than barbed wire because we like the look of it and it makes a statement.  We’ll buy $100,000 pick-up trucks because we can (and they make a statement).  If it’s football-related, we don’t even question it.  Just write the check.  We spend massive amounts of money on mega churches, plastic surgeries, swimming pools and outdoor kitchens.

We’ll drop our pants and give millions of dollars in financial incentives to attract new businesses to our state.  We love our agriculture, oil and gas and defense industries and are ever ready to grease the financial wheels as necessary.  And we’ll spend money to provide water to our industries and our people. But, we have not seen the need to spend a bit of money on flash flood warning systems; not even in a place like the Hill Country where the Guadalupe River has a recorded history of extreme flash flood events dating all the way back to 1838 and as recently as 1998.

Whether one believes we live in a world broken by sin, the forces of nature, time or climate change; one must face the risks and manage them as best they can.  We can and should pray to be spared; but even more so, we should pray for the wisdom and foresight to prepare.  Sadly, it’s too late for the victims of the deadly flash flood of 2025. But there is no excuse for not being prepared for the next one.

Letting Go

As the years stack up, I find myself letting go of things.  Some I’ve learned to live without.  Some I no longer need and many I didn’t need in the first place.  And there are those things which I have grown tired of dragging along behind me.

What does one hang on to? And what does one let go of?  Ah, those are the questions one asks when lying awake in bed at 3 o’clock in the morning.  Now what matters?  Someone tell me, tell me now so I can go back to sleep…or stay awake.

I think it comes down to three key considerations.  First, is this thing good for my relationships with those who truly make a positive difference in my life, and I in theirs? Secondly, is this thing good for me; good for my health and my sanity?  And lastly, is this thing good for my soul, might it make an eternal difference and not just for me?

Take stock, consider, reflect.  Letting go is more difficult, but hanging on is more dangerous.  What things have made your life and the life of those around you worse?  What things have separated you from God?  You may not care.  But here you are, nonetheless, made in God’s image whether you believe it or not.  And one day you will care.

Let go of those things which hold you back. Understand that those most difficult to let go of often do the most damage.  We all have our demons.  We let them in and with God’s help we can let them out.

“Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us.” -Hebrews 12:1

Then What?

 

“No, his mind is not for rent to any god or government.

Always hopeful, yet discontent. He knows changes aren’t permanent."

 - from the song Tom Sawyer by Rush

 

It has been said that the one constant in this world is CHANGE; always has been, always will be. The Greek philosopher Heraclitus said it well, “No man ever steps in the same river twice, for it’s not the same river and he is not the same man.”  Change is inevitable. But to a significant degree the rate and direction of change is up to us. Over the past 200 years the rate of change has increased exponentially.  At some point it will come to an end as will everything, but the timing and means of such an event are well above our human pay grade. In the meantime, we must deal with change.  

Change should come to us with a “Then What?” warning label.  Fail to ask that question or fail to come up with reasonable answers to it, and you will suffer the consequences. History is replete with bad outcomes that could have been avoided if those driving change had seriously considered the “Then What?” that comes after the change.  A lot of people pushed for the prohibition of alcoholic beverages. and they got it.  Then what?  Forced busing to integrate schools.  Ok you got it.  Then What?  Go find those WMD’s.  Then What?  Get rid of those nasty old fossil fuels.  Then What?  Make America Great Again.  Then What?  Open the borders, it’s the humanitarian thing to do and besides we need someone to do the work we are too fat and lazy to do.  Then What?

Most of the news today is about people seeking to make big changes.  Changes which, in some cases, will do less good and more harm than expected.  And there is nary a moment taken to stop and ask, “Then What?” if we get the change we are demanding.  Of course, there are changes that have been for the better.  Civilization has only advanced by changing. Without change we would still be walking or riding animals as opposed to moving about in cars, trains and airplanes.  Without change we would not live as long or as well.  Without change we would still be ruled by monarchs and struggle just to survive. Changes in the law as well as in hearts and minds ended slavery.

Change is necessary.  God commands change and it is required if we are to be good stewards of this planet and live righteously.  But change comes with risks and there are always consequences...Then What?

La Cruzada Insensata

"We asked for workers.  We got people instead" - Max Frisch

Guess what? When the authorities decide it’s time to round up all the undocumented immigrants we discover that includes millions of people who have been in this country for years.  Enough years to have children and even grandchildren born here.  We also find there are millions of family members, co-workers, friends and neighbors who are undocumented, or their work-visas have expired.  

 What should come as no surprise is that when laws and regulations are not enforced, be it immigration or anything else, people will ignore them.  It becomes a simple cost/benefit decision.  We have kicked the immigration can down the road for decades. I do not blame people for slipping into this country to work and have a better life for themselves and their families.  I blame our government for failing to manage the process.  And by “manage” I do not mean building a bigger wall.  I mean investing in the resources to manage immigration and passing legislation that makes sense for immigrants as well as citizens.

So, when we go on a crusade to clean up the mess that’s developed because we allowed it to happen; a lot of technically guilty but otherwise innocent people will suffer.  And that’s more than enough to bring out the protesters along with those who will take advantage of the moment to push their radical agendas.

Contacts

 

I don’t travel as much as I used to but recently I made the mistake of taking a flight out of DFW on a Saturday morning in early June. The terminal was crowded and chaotic; packed with families and infrequent air travelers. The TSA and airline employees might as well have been robots.  I take that back, robots would likely have had more personality and been more efficient.  Even the flight attendants were just going through the motions, avoiding eye contact and mostly huddled up in the galley. The flight was completely full and like the passengers, the flight attendants just wanted the whole thing to be over as soon as possible.

 

It got me to thinking about how we relate to other people. I believe our contacts with others are either Transactional or Relational.  Most contacts tend to be Transactional, more so for some of us than others. For example, on the flight back home I got an upgrade to first class. I sat next to a gentleman who was probably about my age. I boarded ahead of him and had an aisle seat. When he came on board he nodded toward the window seat. I got up and let him in. During the flight he got up to go to the bathroom and was nimble enough to step over and around me. Not a single word was exchanged between us…ever during the entire flight. 

 

I know he could talk because he spoke to someone on his cell phone before we took off.  And he told the flight attendant what he wanted to drink and later his choice for breakfast.  He knew I could talk because I spoke with the flight attendant as well.  We were both readers.  He had a real book, a thick paperback about the American Revolutionary War.  I was re-reading Mere Christianity on my Kindle.  Perhaps he caught a glimpse of that and thought better of speaking to me lest I try to convert him. But neither of us made any attempt to speak directly with the other.  It was a silent transactional relationship. We happened to be sitting next to each other on an airplane. We respected each others’ space and privacy.  There was no other transaction to be had nor was there any interest in a relationship, however brief.

 

In my experience, when it comes to “contact”, most people tend to be either Initiators or Responders. At my core I am a Responder.  I rarely initiate contact unless it’s necessary.  In my work life it has been necessary and I do it rather well. But if a contact is primarily transactional with no apparent reason for it being more, I rarely go beyond saying what is necessary to complete the transaction. If you are waiting in line behind me you’ll be happy. I won’t be chatting up a ticket agent, a cashier or the person behind the counter taking my order.  

 

But I’m also Relational when it comes to contacts. If the opportunity presents itself I will make an effort to know more about you. If it’s on track to being a “relational contact” I will share quite a bit about myself. However, I cannot stand pretense and if I sense someone is not being honest and genuine, or it’s all about them...we’re pretty much done.

 

My wife on the other hand is an Initiator. She will strike up conversations with total strangers and proceed to shower a lot of attention on them. I think she gets away with it because she’s an attractive woman and just has a way of making people feel important. I am certain that she restrains herself when I’m around to avoid my “What the hell was that about?” questions afterwards.

 

My advice, know yourself and be prepared to know your audience. Some people are Initiators and some are Responders.  Some will never move beyond Transactional and some will rush to become Relational.  Be wary of Initiators if you aren’t sure about their motives. Some are like my wife, outgoing and just love people. But many simply want something from you. So watch out and pay attention.

 

Whether you are an Initiator or a Responder, avoid pretense and just be yourself if you wish to move beyond the Transactional level. And if you happen to be sitting next to me on an airplane, don’t be afraid to ask where I’m from or what I do. We’ll have a nice chat.

Knowing It All

 

“It’s what you learn after you know it all that counts.” – John Wooden

Have you ever worked with a know-it-all?  The one who is not always right but never in doubt.  They know just enough, to be right often enough, to convince themselves they know-it-all.  Working with or for a know-it-all can be one of life’s most frustrating experiences.  Perhaps the only thing more challenging is trying to manage a know-it-all.

In 1999 two psychologists, David Dunning and Justin Kruger, conducted a series of tests measuring college undergraduates’ logical reasoning, grammar and social skills.  After taking the test, students were asked to complete a self-assessment regarding how well they performed.  When the researchers compared actual test results to the students’ expected results, they found that the majority of those with lower scores had significantly overestimated their performance.

Thus, we now have what is known as the Dunning-Kruger Effect which is the tendency of people with low ability in a specific area to give overly positive assessments of their ability.  This isn’t a matter of intelligence.  For that matter, highly intelligent people may be even more inclined to overestimate their ability in areas where they lack the knowledge, skill and experience to perform well.

As a person with more than a few rings around his trunk, I confess that at times I have been an overly confident know-it-all in certain areas where I knew far less than I thought I did.  When one is younger and has a few wins under their belt, it’s easy enough to fall into the know-it-all trap.  One would do well to consider that it’s not about how smart you are or how much you know, it’s about what you don’t know. Once you can admit you don’t know-it-all you are ready to begin learning.