"Naked I came from my mother’s womb and naked I will depart." Job 1:21
If ever there was a summary statement about life, that is one of them. It is not comfortable statement but it is revealing in more ways than one. The ancient man lays bare the secret of surviving life’s terrible tragedies and the secret comes in layers.
First, Job lost all his business holdings. In one moment, all that he had accumulated was gone. Then on the heels of that loss came the news that all his children had perished. We cannot contemplate such sorrow. Most of us would have fallen at the first blow but there are things much worse than financial ruin. The loss of our children would have crushed us but it wasn’t over for Job. His health failed and he lay in physical suffering. It doesn’t surprise me that such would happen. The first two events would fail the health of any man.
But what amazes us is that as each level of Job’s life is stripped away, we find him faithful. Here is the secret of Job. The trials and losses did not make Job’s faith any stronger because Job’s faith was already there. The heart of Job held an unwavering trust in his God even if he didn’t understand His actions.
Life has a way of stripping us down and showing us how deep a faith we truly have within. When the stuff of life is stripped bare we see how deeply we love God or not. Job never lost his faith nor his resolve. It was when he learned of the death of his children that he uttered, "Naked I came from my mother’s womb and naked I will depart." Job knew that eventually all of this world is lost anyway.
We know that too if we will admit it. When we are young, we accumulate. We accumulate wealth, an education, a family and a career. We have two or more cars, a home and hobbies. Then time and health begin to strip us. Our children leave. Our health declines. We sell the house and cars for something smaller. Then in those last days, we are stripped of everything. There is no injustice in this because this is life. All of us die and then face judgment.
Sam died that way Sunday. Disease had stripped him bare but he never gave up. He had been through war and knew how thin the veil is between life and death. He did not lament his death. He walked into bravely because he knew what was on the other side. I discovered what lay deep in the real man. Sam had faith. May we do the same.
Michael