Job 14:9

Yet at the scent of water it will blossom,

   Putting forth boughs like a sapling.

I worked on Job 36:19 just now. All my sources said the passage containing this verse is impossible to understand (exaggerating a little). The goal with my Amalgamation is to get each verse into something that I can understand, and surrendering the outcome to God, and not my own lack of knowledge. So, on days like today when the final outcome seems simple, I know that God is with me.

Some options for stitch a included an adjective minimizing the scent required to get the tree going. This would seem consistent with poetry, but I am not a poet. ‘Blossom’ was ‘bud’ seven times and ‘flower’ once.

‘Boughs’ was also ‘branches’ (six times) and ‘shoots’. ‘Sapling’ was also ‘a plant’ and ‘a young plant’.

I am not a botanist, so all these words are not ‘technical’ in my mind as they probably are in the minds of others. I simply picked the ones that had a little more clarity in my mind. As I have gone through the last couple months, a recurring theme is my fallibility. I am not perfect and a lot of what I try to do is not successful. Maybe most.

I have put together an entertaining collection of baseball cards, but I also have a lot of items that I do not want. I made my first attempt at trying to monetize the times I do not want as well (and those of a distant relative). It was draining and while not without some profit, it was not a great enough success to give up the day job. I was able to trade a few things with some friends that made it overall a positive experience, but I am left with the feeling I should have someone else sell them on consignment or wait until I retire or just give up on monetizing them.

One of my ideals from this study is that we should be like these tree roots. We should be ready to spring into action any time God asks us to do even the littlest thing. One of the novels I have read recently has indicated that rich people spend money and time getting their hands manicured. I can hardly take the time to trim my fingernails before they start to annoy me. If I am truly intent on being ready, I need to keep my appearance acceptable at all times. The old phrase good enough for government work is not the way a Christian should behave.

Written 8/28/24, Posted 9/14/24, Job 324