Job 29-32: Have you ever known someone who at one time held a place of great honor then due to life or circumstances beyond their control they leave the position. That person might have had the ear of important people and then they no longer do. I wonder if Job did not feel this way. At one time his word carried great weight. Now due to loss of possessions, children and even his own health his word was no longer respected.

As I read what Job said about falling from a place of respect my thoughts went to people who have lost jobs or even retired. So many at one time were people of influence. Then they come home and find themselves struggling because they haven’t changed. They still have the knowledge, experience, and and wisdom they had in days gone by. Yet those who at one time respected them no longer do. I wonder sometimes if this isn’t exactly how people feel when they are older.

As believers, how should we respond to those who might have lost jobs.positions or have retired and are again? One of the ways we can honor them is just to see them and treat them with respect. I wonder if many times these people don’t feel like they are invisible. To have someone see them and make them feel special esteems them. To listen to them and value their opinion is so important. Even asking them for insight into a specific project you are working on can make them feel like the knowledge they have is not being wasted. Whether or not you take their advice just listening and allowing them to have input does mean a lot.

I wonder if Job’s community had reached out to him the way he had reached out to them in the past if his story would have read much differently. if he had felt like he had someone in his corner or someone who honored him and respected his word. We can’t change everyone’s life, but we can live in such a way that we see and respect those who need a helping hand whether great or small.