Narrative Lectionary Key Verse for Today
“Then Zophar the Naamathite answered:
‘Should a multitude of words go unanswered,
and should one full of talk be vindicated?
Should your babble put others to silence,
and when you mock, shall no one shame you?”
NL Daily Devotion for Wednesday, June 17, 2020
by Dr. Kimberly Leetch, Clergy Stuff
Perhaps the voices of Job’s friends are the voices of reason, teaching us of things we have a hard time comprehending. On the one hand, Job is blameless in that his sin did not cause his suffering, as his friends are quick to accuse. On the other hand, no human is truly blameless. God is not in the business of tallying our offenses and doling out punishments. At the same time, we live in a flawed world, and in such a world humanity sins and suffering occurs. Maybe Job’s friend is helping him see that he is not flawless, and people who believe they are perfect are being dishonest with themselves.
Recently I watched a TED Talk about being wrong. In it, speaker Kathryn Schulz identified how our culture has made it a bad thing to be wrong. When we are kids in school we are rewarded for being right (good grades and praise) and punished for being wrong (poor marks and scolding). She suggested that being wrong can be a wonderful gift. If we are willing to acknowledge that we are wrong from time to time (ok, maybe most of the time), we open ourselves to learning and growing. If we can embrace our imperfection without shame, then we can open ourselves to the wonder of another’s rightness.
Maybe Zophar’s words are a gift to Job. By acknowledging he is not as blameless as he believes himself to be, he might open himself to a whole new world of exploration, discovery, relationship, and wonder.
God, search my life and show me my mistakes not as a thing to be feared, but something from which to grow. Amen.
An
Exceptional
People
Blog Posts
SIGN UP NOW