When You Lose Everything

I started a new reading plan this week and today’s reading led me through the first half of the book of Job.  It’s always interesting to read through parts of scripture after a while because I’ll always pick up new things and view the lessons in a different light.

Right away, we learn that Job is the richest guy in the land.  Pretty good setup if you ask me.  He had a beautiful family, plenty of land and lots of animals.  But this only lasted for the first 12 verses of chapter one…then Job lost everything.  Not the happiest book I’ve read before.

We know the end of the story, but can you imagine if you were Job and didn’t have a clue what was happening or why everything was taken from him?  And to top it off, his friends were telling him that it was his fault and his wife even told him to forget God altogether!

Job ended up losing everything – his possessions, his family, and sense of self worth.  He wished he hadn’t even been born!

How timely it was to read about losing everything in light of what happened in Joplin, MO this week.  We are about an hour away from where the deadliest tornado in U.S. history struck, and the stories about the devastation have flooded the news all week.

People lost everything.  With little warning and no reason, entire homes were demolished and too many lives were taken from families.

No; I didn’t put together three main points about how you can rise up from under situations where you lose everything.  That’s not why I wrote this.

It’s simply a post to remind us to value each day we have.  Our possessions, jobs, life savings, and loved ones can leave us at a moment’s notice, leaving us feeling like we’ve lost everything.

But if there’s one thing that we still have, it’s the hope of God’s promises that we find in Romans 8:28 And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.

If you are looking for a way to give to help those who lost everything this week, I would encourage you to look at giving to Convoy of Hope.  They’re located in Springfield, MO and have been providing aid all week to families in Joplin.  What’s most impressive is that a gift of $1 can be turned into $7 of resources through Convoy of Hope.  You can visit their website or text CONVOY to 50555 to donate $10. 

If you give, feel free to encourage others in the comments.