Job didn’t gloss over things. As Chapter 23 in The Book of Job opens, Job readily admits: “I am still complaining today. I groan because God is still making me suffer.” Instead of addressing the observations made by Eliphaz in the previous chapter, Job simply states the facts: I’m complaining, I’m groaning, all this suffering is causing me to act like a grumpy old man.
Complainers don’t win a lot of fans. When friend go through hard times, we want to give them leeway, permit some grousing, just enough to communicate our willingness to sympathize with their situations. But for the friend who builds a reputation as a perpetual complainer, we’re not quite as sympathetic or patient. More often than not, we’re repelled. We have nicknames for them: Debbie Downer … Negative Nancy … wet blanket … buzzkill. Continue reading “Where Is God?”