Recently, I heard about a tragic car crash in front of City Hall that claimed the lives of nine people. It turned out that four of them were colleagues from a commercial bank, and I remembered that just a few days earlier I had had lunch with a college classmate who worked at another branch of the bank and was told that he had a promotion coming up on July 1. After watching the news and learning that he had been struck and killed by a reversing car while waiting at a walk signal after a dinner party celebrating his promotion, I suddenly remembered him, so I sent him a sympathy message and received a short reply thanking me and saying that he still couldn’t believe it, and I was at a loss as to how to console the unfortunate. When I was struggling with depression, what actually helped me the most was having family and friends who would just eat with me and listen to me, rather than try to solve my problems, and when I was delivering packages around the holidays, when I was overwhelmed by the volume of packages, they would come over and fly packages with me. I realized that the best way to get out of depression was to be grateful for the little things and keep myself busy, and the people who were there for me along the way were truly comforting and supportive.
In the book of Job in the Bible, Job, a righteous man of God, is tempted by Satan and loses all his possessions, children, and health in one day, and his wife is cursed. He does not sin with his mouth, but he questions and appeals to God about his injustice. His three friends, who pity his plight, pretend to comfort him and condemn him, and Elihu, who overhears the conversation, criticizes the three friends and Job and tells them what God is like. However, God later restores Job and forgives the friends because Job sacrificed for them, and Elihu, who had so coldly criticized the three friends and Job, is completely ignored by God. And when God asks Job, the creator, the question, “Where were you when I laid the foundations of the world?” he is left speechless. Eventually, Job surrenders to God, and God restores him and blesses him even more than before.
When I see misfortune, like the car accident in front of City Hall, I realize that God doesn’t want us to analyze those who have suffered misfortune; what they need is true comfort, not questions or answers. Comfort is crying with them and being there for them. I wake up strong and blog today, realizing that I dare not open my mouth to God’s plan, which is higher than my thoughts and I cannot understand, but asking for His mercy and grace is the right way to go.
Where were you when I laid the foundations of the earth, if thou wilt understand, and tell me? (Job 38:4)
Deliveryman's Blog 
Leave a comment