March 11, 2024

Job 13.15 (NIV)
“Though he slay me, yet will I hope in him. I will surely defend my ways to his face.”

You see others differently from how they see themselves.*

I liked most everything about my previous job except the occasional need to talk to the media. Newspaper reporters weren’t so bad but television was the worst. First, because I hated the way I looked on TV; and second, because once something was said, I couldn’t take it back. It was amazing how I could rattle on so eloquently for 95% or more of the interview and then – wham! – the one stupid thing that popped out of my mouth is the only thing they showed on the news that night.

 

The Book of Job doesn’t always show Job in the best light either. If we take some of his comments out of context, we don’t get a true picture of him; this verse, however, seems to reflect Job at one his finest and truest moments. What an expression of faith! While there were times when Job’s faith seemed to falter, here we see the real Job – the man who valued his faith in God even above his own life.*

  

From Job, we can learn a lesson about jumping to conclusions about people. Do we make judgments based on first impressions? In order to make a fair assessment of a person’s character, we must consider all the evidence, not just a few ill-chosen words taken out of the context of a well-lived life. No one wants to be defined by the 5% of their words that come out wrong!

One failure doesn’t make a person a failure; one achievement doesn’t make a person a success.*