Finished Another Book...Kinda

Well I suppose I am over my small mental breakdown from last Tuesday so I am back to announce that I have finished another book...kinda. Let me explain. In my World Literature class we recently read the book of Job (from the Bible-just in case).  I really haven't worked out the rules of the project and I swear that I am going to organize a list and stick to it but I thought that since Alice in Wonderland is taking too long to finish than I am comfortable with I should include Job to my book list.

Here's my take on the book. Now I already knew the story (even though I had to text my mom to bring me up to speed again ; ) so I went to class all prepared and what not. Well we began to discuss the story and its significance and I swear I had a moment in which my faith became so sure to me (I am a devout Christian). You see the book of Job is about a God-fearing man that would never, ever curse God or his name. So the Devil saunters up into heaven, for which I can not understand how he got there if he had been damned to hell, and basically says ,"Hey God, what about that Job character? What do you think about him?" God answers that Job is a righteous man and I believe describes him as having no other in comparison to his faith. So the Devil says, "Of course he loves you! Look at all the blessings you have given him. Take it away and you see how fast he curses your name". God agrees and soon Job's cattle, a few children and essentially his whole means of living is destroyed. Everyone expects him to scream and kick and damn every word for God yet he doesn't. He does, however, rip his clothing off and exclaims that God is still omniscient and giving. Later up in heaven the Devil, being out-witted, claims that Job hasn't had enough taken away from him to truly hate God. God then says, "Ok, do you what you want to his own body but make sure his life stays in tact". The next day Job erupts in boils or some kind of sickly skin disease yet while scraping away at his skin he doesn't cure God's name. In short a bunch of other bad stuff happens and Job, convinced by his peer pressuring friends, enraged finally asks god why he has been forsaken. Specifically he asks,  "What have I done to deserve this?!" God answers in the form of the whirlwind, "Who are you to ask such dark questions? Where were you when I made this world? Please tell me your wisdom..." (I'm severely paraphrasing) He goes on to tell Job that he does not need to know why his blessings were taken away from him because Job has no way to begin to fathom the inner workings of God's mind therefor some questions of his do not deserve answers. Job subsided, came to his senses and blessed God's name. For his repentance he was rewarded seven (?) times his old blessings and lived to be very happy and healthy.

Ok now to why this story made me so sure of my faith and the situations I am in now. Well I mean out of all the books in the Bible the book of Job, a story about obedience, is the one that we learned! This related so much to my life right now because I know that a few days ago when I was sobbing in my Deltona home one day before discussing this story I was so ready to kick, yell and scream and ask why this was happening to me. I mean I am a good person who works hard and gets good grades and essentially could be a lot worse in my opinion yet I had not been blessed with a job. This story helped me realize that I am in no position to question the path God has set me on and that in good time he will take care of me. Well he did. I filled out a gagillion more applications and actually didn't get a no in less than twelve hours and... I got a call back and wonderful telephone interview today! I won't know about the job offer for a few days but I am telling you now this, and any other endeavor of mine, will forever be in God's gracious hands.

So it is Jan 26, 2011 and I have 98 books to complete by next year. Alice in Wonderland will be the 97th if I don't finish the Odyssey (for school) first. Wish me luck...