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Naomi and the friends of Job seem to have based their understanding and expectations of God on the law of Moses, which promised blessings for obedience and curses for disobedience. But actually, what we see again and again, from the beginning to the end of the Bible, is that God repeatedly gives his people what they don’t deserve. It’s called grace.

Naomi’s understanding of the world, her grasp of God’s ways with his people, was that God gives us what we deserve, what we’ve earned through our good or bad behavior. It was the same understanding Job’s friends seemed to have—that in Job’s suffering he was getting what he deserved.

Even though I have the book I’ve been listening to Joni read and sing through the audio version in her beautiful, expressive voice. She has come to a deep understanding of suffering that was shared by so many saints before us, but is so foreign to our contemporary Christian ears- that it is the knife God uses to graft us into Himself. We can choose to not only endure it, but lean into it.

Not loving it. It feels to me like it might be written for teenagers. I doubt I’ll finish it.

“The believer would rather be in hell with Christ than in heaven without Him.”

I’ve been reading a chapter at a time to my older girls at bedtime. Even though they read far more voraciously than I do at this point, they ask me to read it to them.

Reading this alongside Clint Watkins’ book Just Be Honest.

“We typically have a difficult time with difficult emotions. Put simply, it doesn't feel good to feel bad. Sadness, anger, and anxiety are feelings we try to overcome quickly or avoid altogether. And in many parts of Christian culture there's an imbalance towards positivity, progress, and praise. As a result, unpleasant emotions make us feel uncomfortable and unfaithful; sorrow seems incompatible with trust in God.