The Surprising Reformatting of Job's Failure

Circumstances sometimes seem to create what I call a Jobian scenario—a script written by the author of the book of Job. Following is my story outline in a Job-like context.

Chapter One opens with Job and his family enjoying all the blessings of the Lord: living on the paradise island of Hawaii, nice home, nice family, Job’s growing law practice, friends, community—the good life.

Chapter Two features a “Word from the Lord,” Job is to enroll in a university Master’s program. The family unity continues, anticipation of more adventure, cutting off ties to Hawaii, packing up and the family flying off to a foreign land—Florida.

Chapter Three continues to reflect blessing and “guidance” in the new land: another nice home, even a motor home. New friendships forming, Job starts a Master’s program in taxation at the University of Florida College of Law.

Chapter Four opens with dark clouds beginning to form on the horizon. Job finds the prerequisite of the Master’s program which required a CPA certification had great merit. That prerequisite was waived for Job to be admitted to the program, but that did not mean it didn’t have merit. The law degree and a few years of practice only met half of the program’s requirements for admittance. The clouds seem to be taking more shape.

Job slowly realizes that he was only competing at the “C” level rather than the program’s minimum required “B” level. This would be evident at the end of the first quarter (the University was on the quarter system rather than the semester system in 1977). The ominous cloud layer seemed to be growing.

The second quarter, with Job’s renewed effort, still produced Cs. Finally, the third quarter’s supreme effort—only a single course, Estate Planning, the one that had called Job to Florida—the one that was in answer to prayer when seeking God’s direction in Hawaii.

The result of Job’s valiant third quarter effort—a very strong B, but not an A. No way all the previous Cs were going to be brought to Bs, the end of the quest for a degree.

The clouds of failure descend—leave the program, forget the vision, question God as to His perceived direction. Did Job think he knew God as well as he thought?

Chapter Five opens with a flashback. Job, in questioning God, reflects back on the past nine months since the family arrived in Florida, less the eldest child who was dropped off at Oral Roberts University on the way through Tulsa. The trip to Florida was in a motor home purchased in Los Angeles upon arrival back from Hawaii. This passage created the atmosphere and attitude of vacation.

The vacation mentality pretty well defined Job’s first quarter at the University. Weekend day trips were common—trips to visit family in Jacksonville. One weekend Job and family visited an island community off the Florida Gulf coast called Cedar Key. This unique bit of old Florida held a fascination for Job, winding up in the purchase of waterfront property with commercial potential. Studying tax law was not a priority while “on vacation.”

Chapter Six finds Job continuing his flashback. Job and family have found a church relationship that of itself vies for time, albeit with a spiritual flavor. The home which was purchased during the first quarter (an added diversion) was in a homogeneous neighborhood of relatively like-minded families. God was a factor in the life of most, but other interests often crowded out the relationship. One of Job’s neighbors was into sailing. Job had seriously entertained the idea of moving the family to Hawaii in a sailboat. Now the opportunity to learn sailing skills from his obliging neighbor was quickly embraced—rationalized as God’s provision, it became another second-quarter diversion. Some weekends found Job learning to sail rather than study tax law.

Chapter Seven comes back to the reality of Job’s status. He’s at loose ends. The clouds, while still in the distance, are again growing closer.

The Master’s tax program, having been abandoned, made an assessment by Job of his situation entirely in order. There may be identified a confluence of factors indicating a course change. Job summarizes: no Master’s program to pursue, no job, a family to feed, a commercial waterfront property, an interest in sailing and the three-quarters of University learning had equipped Job to do income tax preparation. That last factor was almost eliminated by its definition—a Yankee tax preparer in a retro-town in the south. This would be a short-lived endeavor—and so it was. But the rest of the equation hopefully still had relevance. There was, however, one significant factor missing which would be revealed in time, but at this time was eluding Job—adding to the increased cloud activity.

Chapter Eight finds Job pursuing the suggested change of direction. He is busily establishing a sailboat rental business in Cedar Key. Never mind that there are few if any sailboats in the Cedar Key area of the Gulf. Job is in a village primarily of fishermen. People come to the island to fish. This fact is brought to Job’s attention by a rare, caring local resident who said, “We used to have boat rentals here.”

Job minimizes sailboats, maximizes buying boats and motors, and then learning to repair

outboard motors. Soon bait and tackle are offered—a store, Gulf Island Marine, is formed. Job’s two youngest daughters are hawking the store’s products on the dock on the weekend.

The big drawback to this new direction is the store has to be kept open for business during daylight hours. Job, living over an hour away, must drive morning and night, day in and day out, to tend his store.

Some day’s sales amount to $2 or less. The clouds are now clearly obvious and seem to be rapidly approaching.

Chapter Nine finds Job in great emotional agitation—the business is failing, Job’s physical body is rebelling to the long hours, the stress of the lack of sales and rentals, and the cold, blustery weather of winter is pressing in. A suggestion by a caring brother-in-law to offer shrimp and oyster cocktails, both of which were harvested by local fishermen, was a seemingly good idea but left Job each night with inventory that didn’t sell. To throw that away could leave the day with no profit and probably a loss. A loss may have been better than the bad oyster Job must have eaten. His body’s rebellion now further manifests in unrelenting diarrhea. The only food that has minimum acceptance by the gut is medium rare hamburger, baked potato, and banana—two or three times a day. The store only has heat in the front area. The toilet, which Job frequently occupied is not in the front area and is ice cold.

A visit to the doctor diagnosed the condition of IBS, irritable bowel syndrome. The prescribed medicine did nothing to abate the symptoms. The clouds of Job’s second failure are threatening and are very much closing in.

Chapter Ten finds the cause of the pending failure misidentified. The weeks of physical and emotional torment passed slowly for Job, he has lost much weight. He is physically and emotionally exhausted. His prayer life has now intensified, lasting most of each day’s drive to and from Gainesville to Cedar Key. On one of those morning drives, as Job was praying, the Lord audibly spoke: “You have leaned to your own understanding.”

Job, as much as his driving would permit, emotionally fell to his knees, with his face on the ground: “Lord, forgive me, I am guilty, my past success in business blinded me to my need for Your guidance.” Job’s remembrance of the Lord’s answer to his question years before when Job asked why he had great business success while a sinner came to him, “I loved you while you were yet a sinner.” It had never been Job’s understanding that produced his success. It was the unrecognized provision of the Lord. It was the Holy Spirit’s guidance appropriated by Job as his own understanding. Job’s leaning turns out to be the missing factor of Chapter Seven.

With the repentance, Job’s IBS abated and the clouds lifted. God made further provision for the business to prosper and within eighteen months the business was sold at a substantial profit.

Chapter Eleven identifies a thorn. Though the Cedar Key venture turned out very well, Job was not totally out of the IBS woods. This “thorn” would continue as a reminder of Job’s need to rely on the Lord and not on himself. This need never left, and well it shouldn’t. It would be another twelve years of business dealings with varying degrees of reliance on God and finally a divine provision of natural diet change that would finally write farewell to the IBS. But that’s another story.

This story would seem to chronicle two failures, but really it is a story of success. Why? Because the near failure in the second instance actually turned out to be a great spiritual victory—one which revealed that the true source of success is a spiritual connection to a living, loving God.

Even as this is written, it is now seen that the first “failure” was Job giving place to the vacation spirit, making choices that were contrary to his calling. Repentance is in order. I think there is a necessity for the author to step out of the Job character and repent—which I now do with conviction and sincerity—Father, wash my conscience clean.

Chapter Twelve is a reflection and acknowledgment that God can take our failures, the negligent study habits, the boat rental, and other presumptuous business mistakes made, and after hearing heartfelt repentance He brings good out of them. The Scripture says He makes all things work together for good. Romans 8:28

This spiritual truth is most importantly reflected in one’s calling. It was never doubted that the Brown family was to leave Hawaii and go to Florida. Did Father use that vision of a Master’s degree to get the family to Florida? Or, did He have plans that were not completed, but had to be adjusted by Him because of free will choices made by Job? Did the calling change or rather was the route it would follow be changed?

I believe our Kingdom calling does not change and all other decisions in life are being adjusted to provide for that calling’s completion. All things working together for good will always be for the Kingdom good.

Two important lessons are taught here: keep short accounts with God and man and don’t let your mind and free will overrule your spirit’s direction received from God’s Holy Spirit. In both responses His Kingdom come is paramount.