Nothing ever stays the same.....

I've mentioned to you before how much I love "old sayings".
My Daddy and my Mom had lots of them.
One that I will never forget hearing my Mom say....when I would be complaining about something going on in my life....
she would say.... "nothing ever stays the same".
I've had to repeat that same phrase to her on several occasions, because of some things that she's faced with in her own life these days!!!

Pappy came home from work Friday evening and said "get the camera", I've got something to show you.
He asked if the batteries were charged in our camera that he wanted to take me somewhere...there was something I needed to see.

Remember the post about the diner burning?

(click on the picture to go to the post)


Here's a pic of what he wanted me to see:

Yes....they tore it down.
That was very unexpected for me. I thought that it was just gutted out and the shell would be good enough to re-build upon...but, of course, I am no structural engineer....and I know absolutely nothing about that sort of thing...but, it just hurt to see it all going into a dumpster!!!
It's sad, isn't it?
But...it got me to thinking about our lives and how they never stay the same.

We all have those days when you just couldn't ask for a better life....everything is just going so well, exactly the way we want.
Then....could be even before the day is over....it seems that everything just falls apart!!!

This reminds me of Job.

Job 1:1 (NLT)
There once was a man named Job who lived in the land of Uz.
He was blameless—a man of complete integrity. He feared God and stayed away from evil.

Job was a very wealthy man.

Job 1:2-3 (NLT)
He had seven sons and three daughters. He owned 7,000 sheep, 3,000 camels, 500 teams of oxen, and 500 female donkeys. He also had many servants. He was, in fact, the richest person in that entire area.

But one day....when he least expected it....he lost it all:

Job 1:13-19 (NLT)
One day when Job’s sons and daughters were feasting at the oldest brother’s house, a messenger arrived at Job’s home with this news: “Your oxen were plowing, with the donkeys feeding beside them, when the Sabeans raided us. They stole all the animals and killed all the farmhands. I am the only one who escaped to tell you.” While he was still speaking, another messenger arrived with this news: “The fire of God has fallen from heaven and burned up your sheep and all the shepherds. I am the only one who escaped to tell you.” While he was still speaking, a third messenger arrived with this news: “Three bands of Chaldean raiders have stolen your camels and killed your servants. I am the only one who escaped to tell you.” While he was still speaking, another messenger arrived with this news: “Your sons and daughters were feasting in their oldest brother’s home. Suddenly, a powerful wind swept in from the wilderness and hit the house on all sides. The house collapsed, and all your children are dead. I am the only one who escaped to tell you.”

What would you have done if you had been Job???
Would you have just given up???
Would you have done like Job's own wife told him to do:

Job 2:9 (NLT)
His wife said to him,
“Are you still trying to maintain your integrity?
Curse God and die.”
(nothing like having a supportive spouse, huh???)

I cannot honestly tell you what I would do. I do know this....at a certain time in my life, I would not have handled any one of these things very well....because my faith wasn't where it should be. I wasn't truly trying to live for the Lord and depending on Him like I do now. I don't mean just depend on Him for certain things....I'm talking about depending on Him for EVERYTHING!!!
Is this saying that I wouldn't be hurt...and wouldn't possibly even question God as to why those bad things were happening to me???
We're all human...we have feelings and hurts and weaknesses...and Jesus knows that. Remember....the fact that He came to earth and was all human and all God....because of that, He understands when we suffer!!!
I do hope that I'm never faced with the tragedies that Job went thru...
at least not all at one time...
but I also hope that I can be like Job:

Job 1:20-22 (NLT)

Job stood up and tore his robe in grief. Then he shaved his head and fell to the ground to worship. He said, “I came naked from my mother’s womb, and I will be naked when I leave.
The Lord gave me what I had, and the Lord has taken it away.
Praise the name of the Lord!”

In all of this, Job did not sin by blaming God.

See what I mean....Job grieved....he showed that he's human and he was so hurt by all he had lost....
BUT.....
HE DID NOT BLAME GOD!!!!!

I've heard people do just that...blame God for the situation their in...blame God for bad things happening in their lives...blaming God for things not improving.
I've made this statement before...and I have to stick with it....and it applies to ME, too...not just others...a lot of the things that we have to go thru...
we bring upon ourselves!!!
Now...don't get me wrong....
"bad things happen to good people"....
and that is not what I'm talking about at all....it's just that sometimes the suffering that we have to endure....are the results of bad decisions we've made...and then, we want to blame anybody but ourselves for what we're going thru...even to the point of blaming God!!!

I realize this post is a little all over the place, but, I hope you're getting the point I'm trying to make!!
"Nothing ever stays the same".

Sometimes things get better....sometimes they even get worse....but thru it all....don't let anybody convince you to
"curse God and die".
Don't let anybody convince you that you're being punished and that's why you're suffering...unless they are kindly trying to let you know what I just stated above...that sometimes we bring things on ourselves thru our choices!!!

"Life gets tedious sometimes"
(another quote of my Mom's)
It's just how we choose to handle those tedious times....
and WHO we turn to....
that makes all the difference in the world!!!

In His Love...and with mine!!!