[Job said,] "the Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord."
- Job 1:21 (NRSV)
Over seven years ago, I still remember it like it was yesterday, I drove down the highway reciting this verse to myself over and over. I didn't know why this verse would have popped into my mind instead of the others that I have memorized. I wondered, why not verses about the blessing of the Lord, the goodness of God, or verses about God's blessings or favor, His mercy, or His protection from bad and loss.
The entire ride blew by me until at last I arrived to my wife's side and realized why this verse and why this moment. Children are a gift from God, and for us, my wife and I, this time we would not hear the sound of a newborn's first cry, hold a small baby, or even coo at him or her. Instead, we watched as the nurse panicked and the doctor's face grew grim and then hope gave way to hurt.
At that moment, when despair and anger threatened to derail life, joy, peace, hope and all the measures of strength, I prayed, "The LORD gives, the LORD takes away, blessed be the name of the LORD."
We may never understand why God choose to take this child from us, but four years later I can praise Him because He is still worthy of all our praise.
Stop living life scared. Start being awesome!
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