{"id":727,"date":"2013-07-15T22:49:51","date_gmt":"2013-07-15T22:49:51","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.beliefnet.com\/gooddaysbaddays\/?p=727"},"modified":"2013-07-15T21:02:54","modified_gmt":"2013-07-15T21:02:54","slug":"living-the-life-of-job","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/gooddaysbaddays\/2013\/07\/living-the-life-of-job.html","title":{"rendered":"Living the Life of Job?"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Maureen<\/a>Perhaps one of the reasons so many of us with chronic illnes identify with the biblical tale of Job is that we have (or are) lived it (living it). Recent time has certainly been like that for me, not just in terms of health issues, but also life “happening” (this will surely be the stuff of more than one blog post to come!). And i’ve found myself, once again, thinking of Job and his trials, as well as the way he and his friends handled things. And, then, of course, there is God speaking when nobody else seems to be able to “cut to the chase.”<\/p>\n

Reading about Job is, of course, very different from feeling as if you’re living his tale yourself. There’s always a certain detachment between Job’s suffering and our own cozy reading chair, no matter which “modern” translation you read. But the story is still relevant. Throughout history, people have experienced trouble upon trouble, stress upon stress, and felt impotent, alone, and, yes, at times, compass-less. With Job, though, we also see the turning point and the aftermath.<\/p>\n

God speaks, asserting his omnipotence and omniscience.<\/p>\n

Job listens, understanding, finally, that no matter how rich or blessed or otherwise worthy, life on earth can be very hard sometimes and God is more powerful than any of the bounty a person possesses.<\/p>\n

And, after these turning points, Job is able to find a way out of the pit of despair into which he has fallen and balance his life, once again, finding greater happiness and faith than he ever would had he not had his trials.<\/p>\n

So, no matter what problems arise for each of us, even to the point of tremendous loss, if we look to Job, we see the “whole” story, and can take heart, find inspiration, and understand. Of course, too, if Job doesn’t do it, then surely the New Testament will, with Jesus’ birth, life, and death on a cross – and His glorious resurrection. Salvation for all his beloved children, no matter how harsh their trials.<\/p>\n

Blessings for the day,<\/p>\n

Maureen<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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She expected to be writing scripts. God had other plans. A few years after her graduation, Maureen was diagnosed with a life-threatening case of organ-involved lupus. Her life turned upside down as she grappled with the effects of the illness and other health conditions that ensued. She was no stranger to serious health challenges; even as a child, Maureen had survived numerous bouts of pneumonia, flu, and other infections. But lupus made her take a fresh look at her life goals - and took herlifelong, strong Catholic Christian faith and writing in a direction she'd never imagined. Today, Maureen writes and speaks about walking with the Lord while living with chronic pain and illness. Her most recent book is \"Don't Panic!: How to Keep Going When the Going Gets Tough (Franciscan Media). She is also the author of, \"Peace in the Storm: Meditations on Chronic Pain & Illness\" (Image Books\/Randomhouse), \"Beyond Pain: Job, Jesus, and Joy\" (Twenty-Third Publications), \"The First Year: Hypothyroidism, Second Edition\" (Perseus) and \"Taking Charge of Lupus: How to Manage the Disease and Make the Most of Your LIfe.\" She writes the syndicated column, \"Living Well,\" for Catholic News Service, and has also written for Saint Anthony Messenger Magazine, Journey for Women Magazine, The Upper Room Magazine, LupusNow, and Arthritis Today. Maureen's health continues to be a challenge, however she feels honored to be able to bring her perspective, from experience and knowledge, to others. \"Good Days...Bad Days with Maureen Pratt\" is a new way for Maureen to reach people who carry the burden of illness and pain in their lives, or who care for someone who does. Through the blog, she hopes to bring issues of health, wellness, and spirit into focus and, especially, inspire others that, no matter what health challenges, illness, or hardships they endure, each person can find a good way to realize the wonderful potential God has placed within each heart and soul.","sameAs":["http:\/\/www.maureenpratt.com"],"url":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/gooddaysbaddays\/author\/mpratt"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/gooddaysbaddays\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/727","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/gooddaysbaddays\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/gooddaysbaddays\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/gooddaysbaddays\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/548"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/gooddaysbaddays\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=727"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/gooddaysbaddays\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/727\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":728,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/gooddaysbaddays\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/727\/revisions\/728"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/gooddaysbaddays\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=727"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/gooddaysbaddays\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=727"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/gooddaysbaddays\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=727"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}