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fill in the blanks

There's always a phrase or two in every language that I consider "fill in the blank" phrases.  I suppose you could call them cause and effect clauses.  For example:

For every....there is....
Either...or...
But....And.... (kids learn this one early on!)

And I got a new one last week. One that has really made me stop and think. A friend quoted it from the Bible in her blog last week. From Job 13:15: "though he slay me, yet will I hope in him."  That is such a powerful statement!  In today's language we'd probably say, "Even if he kills me, I'll still trust God." Normally I heard such an extreme statement, I'd chalk it up to someone just running their mouth. But given the circumstances of what Job was facing, I think he meant it. And the construction of that sentence has made me think about all the other fill in the blanks that could be used with it.

Even if God makes me sick, I'll still trust Him.
Even if God makes my Mom suffer for another 30 years, I'll still trust Him.
Even if I daily struggle with His plan for my life, I'll still trust Him.
Even if Bobby loses his job, I'll still trust Him.
Even if the stock market crashes again and we lose what little we have left, I'll still trust Him.
Even if I have to hear of yet another abused child when I have none, I'll still trust Him.
Even if I never lose another pound, I'll still trust Him.

and the list goes on.  It is so easy for me to focus on the obstacle or situation and not on the one I trust. Sometimes I also wonder if God has as much confidence in me as He had in Job. Would He be able to allow Satan to fill in the blanks "Even if....she'll still trust me"  and me pass the test? It really makes me stop and think.

Comments

Lydia said…
I think of this all the time. Could I handle what Job handled and still trust God?

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