Born unto Trouble
“but man is born to trouble as the sparks fly upward.”
AN UNCOMFORTABLE TRUTH
Eliphaz says something true in a way that wounds Job — trouble is not the exception in human life; it is the rule.
A LAW AS NATURAL AS FIRE
"As the sparks fly upward" — Eliphaz reaches for nature to explain suffering: it is as predictable as a spark rising from a flame.
TRUE WORDS, WRONG MOMENT
The book of Job teaches us that even a theologically true statement can wound when spoken without compassion to someone in pain.
NO ONE SUFFERS ALONE
If trouble belongs to the human condition, then no suffering isolates you from the rest of humanity — you stand in the company of everyone.
PREPARATION, NOT SURPRISE
Knowing trouble is certain does not make it easier, but it keeps it from arriving as betrayal. You can prepare for what is sure, not for the unforeseeable.
SIT WITH SOMEONE IN PAIN
Act: before breakfast, reach out to someone in pain and simply listen, without trying to explain their suffering to them — just be present.