Open Heart

By Joanna K. Harris (excerpted from Seeing God Through The Storm)

Joanna Harris is an author and blogger with a tremendous passion for God.  You can contact Joanna here.  For more on Joanna and her ministry, check out her website here.  There you can also find links to her other blogs.

  

         Have you ever received advice or unwanted counsel from someone who hasn’t experienced the kind of storm you’re going through? It’s not a pleasant experience is it? During my various health trials, some doctors told me, “It’s all in your head.” Other doctors suggested that I didn’t really want to get well. Even a few Christian friends implied that if I confessed some sin or went to counseling my health would improve. Usually people mean well, but they don’t realize how their insensitive words can wound us.

         I’d have expected Job’s friends to offer sympathy and encouragement after seeing his intense suffering. That wasn’t the case.

         Eliphaz spoke first. He said, now trouble comes to you, and you are discouraged; it strikes you, and you are dismayed (Job 4:5).

         Saying that Job had “trouble” was a ridiculous understatement. Eliphaz had the audacity to rebuke Job for being discouraged, though Eliphaz had obviously never faced suffering like Job’s.

         That wasn’t all. Eliphaz continued, Consider now: Who, being innocent, has ever perished? Where were the upright ever destroyed? As I have observed, those who plow evil and those who sow trouble reap it (Job 4:7-8).

         Eliphaz basically told Job, “You must have done some wicked thing to deserve this trouble.” He went on, But if it were I, I would appeal to God; I would lay my cause before Him (Job 5:8). Yet, how could Eliphaz know what he would do in Job’s situation? He was giving advice about something he’d never experienced. He finished his speech by saying, We have examined this, and it is true. So hear it and apply it to yourself (Job 5:27).

         Eliphaz was confident, but that didn’t mean he was right. He was, in fact, mistaken in his opinion that Job’s suffering was a result of sin. Job 1:1 clearly states that Job was blameless. However, even though Eliphaz had a wrong opinion of Job, God could still bring something good from his speech. In Job 5:2, Eliphaz said, Resentment kills a fool, and envy slays the simple. He was right about that.

         As we go through storms, there will be people who are insensitive, arrogant, or constantly giving advice. At times I’ve felt hurt or angry with such people. I’ve thought, “They don’t live my life. They don’t feel my pain. How can they tell me what to do?” If left unchecked, these kinds of thoughts and feelings can easily turn into an attitude of resentment. Resentment places blame on others for either real or imagined injuries to us. But resentment only hurts us, as Eliphaz stated.

         The comforting truth is that God is always in control. When He allows difficult people in our lives, He can speak to us even through them, if we learn to keep an open heart.

         An open heart is one that is willing to learn, willing to confront its own sin, and willing to see more of God in every situation, especially the painful ones.

         Isn’t it ironic that Eliphaz was the one who said resentment kills a fool? If Job felt resentful toward anyone at that moment, it was probably Eliphaz. Yet when resentment takes hold in our lives, our hearts become closed to God. We can defeat resentment by acknowledging God’s control over every detail. When God allows others to inflict pain on us, He will always give us more grace. He will strengthen us to forgive. As we keep an open heart toward God, we’ll discover more about His unconditional love and forgiveness for us.

         As much as I didn’t want to, I did finally follow the suggestion to get some counseling. Though it didn’t change my physical condition, I learned some valuable things about God and about myself.

         God wants us to have open, willing hearts. In Psalm 51:12b, David prayed, grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me. When we have an open heart,

         * God can use painful comments to lead us to deeper humility and compassion—making us more sensitive to the pain of others.

         * He can turn resentment into forgiveness—giving us a deeper appreciation for His forgiveness toward us.

         * He can turn our trials into opportunities—enabling us to show His grace to others.

         That’s what God loves to do.

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