Job 8:2-7. “How long will you go on like this, Job, blowing words around like wind? Does God twist justice? If your children sinned against him, and he punished them, and you begged Almighty God for them— if you were pure and good, he would hear your prayer and answer you and bless you with a happy home. And though you started with little, you would end with much.

Years ago when Pat was in 3rd or 4th grade, he came home with $20 bill.  As a parent I wanted to get to the bottom of it and asked him.  He said he found it and I was suspicious.  Giving him the benefit of the doubt I let it go after a little lecture about being honest.  Well, a week or so later he came home with another.  Upon questioning, he gave the same answer.  Thinking I was a good father I pushed him about it and we went round and round.  He would just say I found it and when I asked where he said in the sandbox at school.  My mind was running everywhere and I felt he needed a lesson on telling the truth.  For the next few days I told him I needed to know the answer and there would be swats everyday he didn’t tell the truth.  It went on for several days and he wouldn’t tell me more and would even challenge the swats saying “That didn’t hurt”.  I was at wits end and was talking to the school and they had no answers.  Finally, I got a call from the school saying that found out what was going on.  Some high school kids were selling drugs and they found they were hiding their money in the sandbox.  I FELT HORRIBLE.  I had been so sure that I knew that he wasn’t telling the truth, and like Job’s friend in the scripture for today I had assumed Pat had done something wrong and if he she came clean all would be good and God would bless it all.  There was a major time of confessing and humbling myself to Pat and I had learned a lesson that would never be forgotten.  How often the circumstances around us are not what we think and we need to not decide someone’s fate from our own story.  I can’t say that Pat suffered like Job, but he did suffer and like Job he had not done anything wrong.  Parenting is difficult but we must believe the best we can about every situation and be patient for truth.