Job 9:27
If I say I shall forget my lament,
Abandon my sorrow and be diverted,
Days like today I wonder if whoever picked chapters and verses knew anything about English or language or how people talk or how they think or anything really. I would think that I would put in chapters only when there was a clear break and put in a verse only when the point concludes. In this case, the verse does not even seem to be worth having on its own. But my revision to the text within the poetry uses only chapters, so I guess the point is moot for the topic at hand.
One source used “give up” rather than “forget” and only one source used “lament” in place of “complaint”. I took “I shall forget” to cover the intent of “tell myself to give up” and went with the majority. I much preferred the minority with lament over complaint.
“Abandon my sorrow” was one phrase among eight that said something similar in nature, but totally different in words. The least similar that also changed the second part of the stitch was “I will change my expression and smile”. I thought of the phrase “put on my happy face” and was left with the total fakeness of such a phrase. I felt Job was actually discussing trying to move on. Without digging further, I strongly supported the “abandon my sorrow” option.
“Be diverted” came from the same source as “abandon my sorrow” and I strongly supported this option individually as well as how the two went together. The options of “be of good cheer”, “smile”, “comfort myself”, “breathe a while”, and “be gladdened” all lacked a sense of change that I felt was being introduced. Not that I know how one comforts oneself, other than food of course. Side notes included the options of “restrain myself” and “take joy/strength/pleasure” that seemed better than some others, but “be diverted” just fits my understanding of how people deal with sorrow.
Unlike the night before when I had outside things to divert me, last night I sought out a home diversion. I ended up watching Thor: Love and Thunder again not so much as I was ready to enjoy it, but as I was not ready to “do” anything else. Apparently, I had not fully recovered from over working the day before. Growing older has something to do with this, but part of it is probably due to the recognition that occurred that Big D is really an adult and not a child within our family. It is the goal of every parent with a sound mind to have the child leave the nest. I am sure God gives us these feeling to remind us to not abandon the child just because it is an adult. (I know I am not supposed to refer to a person as it, but maybe I am protesting pronouns.)
Big D will always be my baby girl (as many country songs remind me, almost constantly it seems), and my desire to continue to prepare her for her future will continue, but I see that I need to move forward from the over protecting dad to the ready to advise, but hesitant to interfere father that I project as what I wanted for a father. God filled and fills this role better than any person can, but I still want to be there for my kid.
(Written 9/9, Posted 10/1, Job 199)