Reason for Suffering (3) - Job's friend's advice

The arguments from Job friends sounds suspiciously like those offered by many Christians to me in the past 2 years.
The Old Testament is filled with examples of prophets warning Israelites that they will face calamity if they flouted God's laws. This makes Christians think that when someone is facing a trial, God is teaching them something or because they have sinned.
Christian friends usually thinks :
"Suffering is God's punishment for mistakes. You must have done something to deserve this punishment."
but it sounds harsh, so they usually say :
"You will look back years later and see that God is moulding your character. I have a friend so and so, something bad happened to him, but when he got right with God, everything changed and he began to do very well."
Christian friends are so "nice". At the very moment when i most need hope and strength, i get accussation thrown at me, resulting in a greater dose of guilt and doubt.
PLEASE!
We have no right to stand beside a sick person and say "this is the will of God".
Lets look at what God said to his 2 friends. God dismissed all their theories with "I am angry with you and your two friends, because you have not spoken of me what is right, as my servant Job has."
I am really so fed up with people coming to me and give me advice that is any way similar to Job's friends. If you ever need to bring advice to your friends who are sick and going through a trial, make you you dont repeat the same mistake as Job's friends. Think "is what i am about the say the same as what Job's friends advised?" Of course this presumes that you have
read the book of Job.

Reason for Suffering (2) - Job's Story (Parallel to mine)

Job is a rich man who loves God and is the most upright and spiritual man of his day. Incredibly, a series of calamities destroyed his ranch and all his possessions. Only his wife survived the series of ordeals. In a second phase of trials, Job breaks out in ulcerous boils. He tries to put up with the pain from his sores. Strangely, Job seems to be bothered more by a sense of betrayal, then the pain. Until then, he has always believed in a fair and loving God. Now, he asked anguished questions : Why me? What did i do wrong? What is God trying to tell me?
In that setting, Job and his friends, who are devout, discuss the mystery of suffering. Their arguments are identical:
[Job, God is trying to tell you something. No one suffers without cause. Common sense tells us that God who is just will treat people fairly. Those who obey and remain faithful, he rewards. Those who sin, he punishes. Therefore, confess your sin, God will relieve you of your misery.] Every defense of suffering seems to be mentioned by these friends of his.
Job's wife even suggested to Job : "Curse God and die".
After making many contradictory statements, he finally came to 2 contradictory conclusions.
1) He, Job, does not deserve the tragedy.
2) God deserves his loyalty.
Which seems to be my current conclusion. But i will attempt to clear the air with God in the next few days.

Reason for Suffering (1)

For the next couple of weeks, i intend to do some serious writing. My hope is to pen down my thoughts, thereby partly releasing some of my pent up frustrations. I think i need to get right with with God.
I used to identify with the prophets of old, now, of all the people in the bible, i can now identify with Job.
Not with the favourite "Naked I came from my father's womb, and naked i shall depart. The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away; may the name of the Lord be praised".
Nor with "Shall I accept good from God, and not trouble?"
But in 9:23, the bible says "When a scourge brings sudden death, he mocks the despair of the innocent", are the kind of thoughts that has been bothering me the past 2 years.
Now, I know he has not passed me by, but he seems to have sadistically made all areas of my life smooth - except Samuel. Alas! Is God toying with me?
As Job made 2 contradictory comments, I too feel the same way.
1) All that what happened to Samuel is a mistake on God's part. Samuel and I dont deserve such treatment. I always think logically that there is much more that i can do for God without the burden of taking care of Samuel's physical needs. Furthermore there is really nothing i have learnt from these hard 2 years. Really, besides, perseverance and medical skills, there is
nothing i have learnt from this continuous ordeal.
2) God deserves my loyalty. Yet, somehow, i still hold firm to him.

I shall continue with the story of Job in my next entry.

With Gong Gong and Por Por. 

Clap, Clap, Clap! What a cute baby sister! 

COE is low, is it time to buy a car, Dad?