Practicing What I Preach.

I have been looking through my Bible for something to read that captivates me. I love to read "stories" that clearly show me how I should live, tell me how to build my relationship with Christ, and build me up when I am feeling down. So book by book, chapter by chapter, and verse by verse, I scanned and looked; then my Dad pointed me in the direction of Job. I have only read five chapters but I already find myself somehow relating to Job. Job was a very wise, faithful follower of Christ but God allowed Satan to tempt Job. After two failed attempts of Satan trying to destroy Job's walk with God, Job started questioning everything. He couldn't understand why bad things were starting to happen him and wondered why God had even allowed to be put on this earth. Job shared his thoughts with three of his friends and it was then Eliphaz the Temanite said to Job, "Think how you have instructed many, how you have strengthened feeble hands. Your words have supported those who stumbled; you have strengthened faltering knees. But now trouble comes to you, and you are discouraged; it strikes you, and you are dismayed." Job 4:3-5 That made me start thinking, how many times have we given advice to someone who was hurting but we weren't able to take own advice in our time of need? I, for one, am really great at whispering words of hope and encouragement to a friend who is hurting but when I am hurting I am beyond help. When I find life is getting too much for me to handle and I feel like I keep getting knocked down, I just think it would be easier to throw my hands in the air and give up. How many of us know how to fix everyone else's problems but we haven't the first clus as to how to mend our own loves? I think God led me to the book of Job to show me that I need to "practice what I preach." I need to start learning how to take my own advice in my times of despair and how to trust in the Lord to take control of the things I can't take care of on my own. God never promised us this life was going to be an easy one, but He did promise us repeatedly that He loves us and He will work everything together for the good in our lives according to His ultimate plan. “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.” Romans 8:28 “Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness.” Isaiah 41:10