It's New Years Eve day. 2012 is just around the corner. I'm sitting at my computer reading FaceBook and working on my lesson on the first 31 chapters of the book of Job for church tomorrow... well, now I'm also blogging (blogging = procrastinating).
As I'm reading FaceBook, I'm saddened to see that so many of my friends and family had a crappy 2011. As I'm reading Job, I'm encouraged in 2 ways.
First, no matter how bad your or my 2011 was, it is almost impossible to be as bad as just one day was for Job. Job was a very blessed man. He had fame and fortune. He had a good family, a successful business, and good friends who could and would see him through tough times. He had iPads, iPhones, HD TVs (plasma, LCD, and LED - just so he could really be sure which one was the best), and all the other latest tech toys. He drove a BMW 5 series on the odd days and a Hummer H2 on the even days. His garage also housed several Mercedes ragtops, a '69 Mustang GT, 3 different Harleys, and a '59 Studabaker that was currently being restored. His bank account was larger than Bill Gates' and his 401K was so large that they referred to it as a 4010000000K. Then in one day, in fact, in one half hour period it was all taken away from him. His vehicles were all stolen and taken to a chop shop. The government issued bail out that completely devalued the dollar and sent the market into a downward spiral. His children and their families were wiped out by a tornado. His tech devices were all fried by unexpected solar flares that caused high levels of destructive electromagnetic radiation. His banker funneled all his money into his own off shore account. In short, he was ruined. And if that wasn't enough, his body was soon to break out with the most painful and disgusting looking boils ever imagined.
Second, no matter how bad it gets, the proper response is to praise God for His goodness. I know. That doesn't seem to make sense. But the reality of it is that no matter how bad you or I have had it, it could be worse. Even in Job's case, it could've been worse; his wife could've died, he could've become blind of deaf, the list goes on. As in Job's case, it is normal and OK to question God as to why all this has happened. It is even normal and OK to tell God that you feel like it isn't fair. But, like Job, we must also give glory and honor to God for the blessings that you do still have and for having had the time and opportunities with those you have lost.
So with all that in mind, I figured that I'd list my top 3 Good, Bad and Ugly thoughts from 2011.
Good:
1. We all have our health.
2. The Steelers made it to the Superbowl.
3. We had a great vacation to Disney this year.
The Bad:
1. Had to go to 2 funerals this year (2 funerals too many).
2. The Steelers lost the Superbowl.
3. Didn't spend enough time with family and friends.
The Ugly:
1. My step-brother, Amon died in November.
Thankfully, my Ugly list is limited to 1.
And finally we also have a Beautiful list to counter the Ugly list:
1. Tammie and I have a new dream that we are actively pursuing. More to come on this later.
My prayer for you this day is that you can look back on 2011 and still give glory and honor to God for all of his goodness and that your 2012 is more like the end of Job's life. In case you haven't read the story, Job ends up more blessed and more prosperous than ever. To God be the glory!
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