Job and The Job

Not too long ago, because of the struggling economy, the company I work for had to make some adjustments. In order keep the ship afloat a variety of changes were made. Reductions in pay, work hours and vacation time were instituted to lessen the payroll load. Proposal efforts, vitally important to gain new work and grow the company back to health were also targeted in these sweeping changes. We were told that hours we spent on these efforts would be held in a special reserve account to hopefully be compensated for later.

        The company was also taking advantage of the State of California Work Share program at the same time however. Hours unpaid by the company were being compensated (at a reduced rate of course) by the State Employment Development Department (EDD). To provide incentives for employees to spend time pursuing proposal work while still enabling them to participate in the state EDD program, it was suggested by management that we turn in two (2) timecards. One that the company would use to generate our weekly paycheck and one to “hold in reserve”, for possible payment in the future, should things turn around.

        I immediately felt my integrity challenged. How could I turn in a form to the state claiming one amount of compensation, when a second timecard existed with at least the potential for more, one they would never know about? I wanted to continue to assist in writing and pursuing work for the company, but knew I could not submit two timecards. I questioned the legality of the policy and was told that the only way the state would ever know about the practice would be if I blew the whistle.

        I’ve been told that I was the only one in the company who decided to only submit one timecard, one true and accurate timecard. Several weeks maybe a month or two went by when it came to light that many of the “secondary or reserve time” timecards submitted displayed some questionable hourly entries. Proposal times were apparently being exaggerated, perhaps believing time itself would hide the real efforts expended in this “shady” practice. In the end the whole “second timecard” idea was scrapped and in my refusal to participate I felt vindicated.

        As the struggle in the economy continues, so too do Satan’s attempts to derail the progress and efforts of believers. He has but one mission, one focus – our ruin. Our focus and time is too often split between competing influences. When I read the words in red, the words of Christ, I read a focused message spoken to a broken and lost world in need of grace and love. When we look at each other what do we see? Are we too – at least acting like – the lost world around us? Should we see things differently than we do?

        Every year I read through the Bible. Reading The Daily Bible compiled in chronological order into 365 daily readings by F. LaGard Smith has been a daily ritual to my morning quiet times for some time now. The presentation of the complete Bible as one story is attractive to the writer inside of me and having it presented in small bites allows me to consistently remain in the word of God.

        The chronological format of the presentation forced Smith to make some hard choices however. The book of Job is a good example. Job is fittingly presented in Smith’s compilation just after the great deportations, at a time of Israel's greatest suffering. Job is understood to be an early patriarch, not a child of Israel. He was just a lone human being who finds himself in terrible suffering for no apparent reason.  Reading the Book of Job is difficult even when our burdens are light. There is great distress and anguish throughout the narrative. How can anyone remain unmoved by an author cursing the day of his own birth for instance?

        Scholars argue that the book is a vindication of the justice and goodness of God. Although these divine characteristics are seen in the story, its purpose may more directly speak to integrity. Job is blameless and upright at the beginning and, although discouraged, nothing is able to move him. He proclaimed, "Though He slay me, yet will I trust Him." (13:15). Satan was allowed to test Job and was unsuccessful.

        As the reader, we know this but isn’t it interesting that Job didn't. So the issue of the integrity of Job demonstrates the greater truth of the integrity of God Himself. As trials came (and still come) to God's children through the ages, Satan's claims would be (and will be) broken, case by case, as they prayed (and we pray) for the power to overcome through the merits of the slain lamb. Let’s live lives of integrity for Him.