Life is Fragile

Do you think that trust in God will bring you to unbreakable health and prosperity?

I was talking with a friend from high school the other day. He was telling me about his father's slow decline into dementia. It's a hard place to be in when you have to start taking care of you parents as if they were your children. It does strange things to your mind when these roles reverse. This family is a good God fearing family. I have another friend who has a friend who is dying from cancer. The man who is dying is a pastor and he was scheduled to be ordained in the ministry months ago, but he got sick. He dedicated his life to God and to his service. I remember having a conversation with some church members who told me their aunt had just be diagnosed with brain cancer. This was a woman who had taken care of her health all of her life believing her body was the temple of the Holy Spirit.

When these things happen we end up asking why. We wish those who really followed God would just continue in strength and health forever. Some people offer explanations. Bildad in Job chap 8 tells Job that Job's kids died because of their sin. It was a direct punishment for their evil behavior. He goes on to say Job must have the case of the boils because of a sin of his own. He then goes on to say if we rely on God then we are strong but if we don't then we are like a spider web. We have no foundation, we can be swept away at any moment. If Job would just turn back to God then God would rouse from his slumber and restore Job to the health and prestige he once held. His life would no longer be so fragile.

There are parts of this that are so true. We are on a firmer foundation with God. We do have strength to stand. He does hold us up. But we are not promised eternal health and prosperity on this earth. Our lives are fragile. There are things like germs and bacteria that cause disease and death. It does come from being in a fallen world which came from the result of sin, but getting sick doesn't mean you aren't relying of God. When you catch a cold it wasn't because you swore, when you have to go in for surgery to replace the hip that has worn our over the years it didn't wear out because you had an affair.

When we make direct comparisons like this it almost becomes laughable. But somehow we still think life is fragile because we are misbehaving or not fully relying on God. Relying on God doesn't mean our lives are not fragile. Relying on God means when we break he will carry us through. He will give us patience and endurance, he will never leave us alone, we can still be in his hands when we are broken. I am reminded of a line from the play "scars."

Jesus didn't promise us we wouldn't get scars, Jesus had scars too, he just promised us we wouldn't have to bear them alone. We have someone who understands them first hand on our side.

My we rely on God today whether we are whole or broken, knowing life is fragile and if it ends or continues we can still rest in the hands of God.