Job 21:8

Their children grow up in their presence,

   Their grandchildren before their eyes.

Job is directly refuting the stupid ideas of his ‘companion’. I feel like someone on my side is arguing for me. Reminds me that we have to take the Bible in context. The words of the companion are in the Bible, but they are not true.

‘Children’ was also ‘seeds’ and ‘descendants’. ‘Grow up’ was also ‘are established’, ‘are’, ‘grow old’, ‘well set’ and ‘firm founded’. ‘In their presence’ was also ‘before them’, ‘with them’, and ‘around them’.

‘Grandchildren’ was also ‘offspring’.

I went to see the youngest play water polo this weekend. Her team went four and o. She scored, she played well, she made mistakes. I hardly even spoke to her, but I was there and she knew it. I was distracted a lot, but I was trying to engage in the moment as some thing I read suggested. I will try to be a better parent, but she is sixteen.

My oldest experienced something new this weekend and called to talk about it. It is good to see her growing during this period out of school and before being married. We have made a lot of difficult decisions for her over the years in that they made her life harder or different than she wanted, but I strongly believe I was following God’s direct instructions for her. I pray we are mature enough to keep helping her without getting in their way.

Not really related, but I have been seeing a lot of ‘you should do this’ things that seem good. I’ve seen so many that I know you could not do all of them in one day, much less do so and have time left to work and be there for your family. One talked about a group who made decisions based on the outcome’s impact seven generations later. Most groups now make decisions based on the moment without regard for the future. We have tried to make decisions for the best overall outcome, but often without making sure we are relying on God for that to happen. Getting better at that, but it’s a journey.

Written 4/27/26, Posted 5/29/26, Job 494/~1070