A Message From The Founder of
EternalPortal.com – ChristianMemorials.com – HeavensMail.com
As you probably already know, ChristianMemorials.com is much more to me than just a platform where people can honor the memory of someone special who has passed away. It has its roots in an absolute conviction I have, that everyone is special and unique, and has a life story that is worth preserving for future generations. Capturing these elements requires a certain amount of introspection, contemplation, and even a bit of distance. Sometimes, reflecting on the lives of saintly people can highlight those qualities in others that are worth honoring. Comparing Jesus and Job is a good place to begin.
These two biblical personalities have personality traits that, at the same time, can be both frightening (in that they are so contrary to our own nature as to appear out of our reach) and awe-inspiring. The most important of the two, of course, is Jesus Christ, who showed us that suffering and death are duties executed for love and forgiveness. The suffering He went through, willingly, for us (you and me) is more than frightening should I, as a Christian, be expected to react in the same way. Although we Christians believe He was God and could command the angels to do His bidding, He suffered abandonment, betrayal, flogging, ridicule, insults, false accusations, disappointment by His own creation, the excruciating, terrifying death by Roman crucifixion and being “forsaken” by God. We hopefully all know His story and have taken it to heart in a way that’s changed our lives.
The second person is much less known. Nevertheless, although an Old Testament personality, he is a man who, like Christ, suffered for us, I think, in a real sense, so that we don’t have to suffer. He was, in a manner of speaking, a sacrifice. Who is this man? Job, the namesake of the 18th book of the Bible. Why is Job like Jesus? Because although innocent, he was subjected to the worst imaginable suffering, including the death of his entire family. God “sacrificed” Job to test him before Satan for the benefit of all of us who read his story.
To aspire to be like Job is uncomfortably challenging and therefore dreadfully frightening, because if we were to follow his example, and worship God in his way, we must be willing to suffer the cruelest circumstances in life, and be a sacrifice, despite our total innocence. Are we up to this challenge? Would we Christians bear our cross with Christ and suffer the same fate as He did on the cross? Would we be willing, as a form of worship of God, to lose our families, our wealth, our health, all unjustly? Please be honest with yourselves. This is why I do not like to dwell on Job and why I do not dare aspire to be like him for fear of being put to the same test. I can always say, I can’t be just like Jesus because, after all, we Christians believe He is God. Job, on the other hand, was a simple man just like us. If Job could suffer as he did without cursing God, so should we, and although this kind of patient suffering may be the highest form of worship to God, it’s just not the kind of worship I’m drawn to. Why? Because of the price I have to pay to offer it to God. I hold my family close to my heart. I suspect you do too. Let’s admit, many Christians are motivated to serve God because of the prosperity preaching many of us have heard. We are told that if we serve God, He will reward us, which is true I believe, but think about this for a minute: serving God for a reward leaves us offering nothing to God because we’ve received payment for our service! On the other hand, serving God because He is God and deserves our devotion regardless of the reward is true worship…because we are not directly rewarded for doing it.
In Job’s case, he paid dearly to be able to offer this gratuitous form of worship to God. Many of us have lost someone recently, but we shouldn’t allow ourselves to fall into resentment against God because of it. It would be more constructive, more healing, to channel that energy into remembering the person who has passed, and to share their life, admirable qualities and personal strengths with others. After all, we all must die and will only leave memories with those we leave behind on Earth. Christian Memorials, Catholic Memorials and The Eternal Portal make it easy to create a dignified, uplifting tribute, a living testimony that focuses on how God works in the lives of other faithful men and women.
In my follow-up blog-post for next week, I will describe the ways in which Jesus and Job are similar. Until then, I invite you to trust in God`s goodness and to tell others about Him regardless of your personal circumstances!
God bless,
John Moetteli
