“The Lord blessed the latter part of Job’s life more than the first. He had fourteen thousand sheep, six thousand camels, a thousand yoke of oxen and a thousand donkeys. And he also had seven sons and three daughters….after this Job lived a hundred and forty years; he saw his children and their children to the fourth generation. And so he died, old and full of years.” Job 42:12-13, 16 – 17
There is a lot that happens between order and reorder in Job’s life. The period of disorder Job experiences is intense. I know I would not want to go through anything Job went through. But now, in this passage, we see Job on the other side of disorder. His fortunes restored. He has a new family and in the epilog of this story we are told Job dies old and full of years. I believe this is another way to say Job died content. The upheaval over, his life once again prosperous and filled with children.
But…you knew there was a “but” didn’t you. When we get through those periods of disorder in life, we don’t come through them unscathed. We have scars. While those wounds can heal and we can move on, we will be different. We will not be the same person as we were during the time of order. Changes will have occurred in us and in our life. Which means that we can never go back to how things once were. Sometimes reorder, while a wonderful period to be in, also means a time to grieve what we have lost during the time of disorder before we can fully embrace all the new in our lives. This is not always an easy time initially.
Let’s look at where we all are globally: We have moved through a global pandemic. We are learning how to live with Covid-19. We have lost a lot during the disorder. Our lives have changed. Some have lost loved ones to the virus. Covid brought many significant changes into our world. Some of them good. Some of them not at all good. It is a time of both/and. And this period is the time we learn to settle in and embrace our new normal. Which means we need to first, grieve what has been lost as we learn to embrace what is new.
Some questions we might want to ask: What has changed for you these past few years? What have you lost? What have you gained? Because this is indeed a time of both/and. And this holds true not just for Covid, but for anytime you go through a time of disorder. Whether you have just been told you are cancer free, you have met someone special after a difficult divorce, you move into a new home after being homeless…whatever your reorder is after your disorder…you need time to grieve the events that caused the disorder as you learn what it means to embrace the new order, the reorder in your life.
There is nothing wrong with looking back to simpler times or times before the big disorders in life. We just can’t stay there. Those times of order have passed. We now have a new reorder. How will you embrace and live in the present now? My prayer for you all is that you will not continue to choose to long for what was, as that will only lead you to become more and more unhappy.
Here’s the thing: New isn’t a bad thing. New ignites our brain. New keeps us on our toes just like a toddler. New can be a space where we find contentment, like Job eventually did. New isn’t bad. New is just different.
Peace,
Pastor Beth
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