The problem of “a little while”

The problem of a little while.

How long is "a little while"?

It's this long -

ἄρτι ὀλίγος

(I really hope the text above displayed correctly on your system - it's Greek letters)

It's from something Peter wrote -

Praise to God for a Living Hope

1Pe 1:3 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4 and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade—kept in heaven for you, 5 who through faith are shielded by God’s power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time. 6 In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. 7 These have come so that your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed. 8 Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, 9 for you are receiving the goal of your faith, the salvation of your souls.
1Pe 1:10 Concerning this salvation, the prophets, who spoke of the grace that was to come to you, searched intently and with the greatest care, 11 trying to find out the time and circumstances to which the Spirit of Christ in them was pointing when he predicted the sufferings of Christ and the glories that would follow. 12 It was revealed to them that they were not serving themselves but you, when they spoke of the things that have now been told you by those who have preached the gospel to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven. Even angels long to look into these things.

Specifically, it's from verse 6 -

6 In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials.

I've been moving from a previous site to this new one you're reading from now.  With about 8 years of stuff to reformat & update, there's a lot to go over.  It's also a chance to remember what I've been writing about - what's been going on in my life that got me to write about those things - and reflect on all of it.

I was just noticing how often I seem to be going through things - a car totaled, while I was in it - a dog escaping from his harness and destroying his paw pads and nails while running around for an hour (he did return on his own) - a tree falling in the back yard - being forced into early retirement after 36+ years  - having another dog get lymphoma, and just when it seemed like he's be in remission, it went to his brain and we had to put him to sleep a few hours later - and on and on and on.

I'm sure it must be for others as well - but no one I know (who is willing to admit it).  It's never ending, and never a moment of just being able to sit back and relax.  It all made me wonder if this is ever going to stop, or if my life will always be like this.

Then, the next thing I worked on moving over had the passage above from 1 Peter 1.

It felt like God was answering my question.  Without really answering it.  Kind of "Job-like".

Job 38:1 Then the LORD answered Job out of the storm. He said:
Job 38:2 “Who is this that darkens my counsel
with words without knowledge?
Job 38:3 Brace yourself like a man;
I will question you,
and you shall answer me.

If you don't remember, Job's answer was this -

Job 42:1 Then Job replied to the LORD:
Job 42:2 “I know that you can do all things;
no plan of yours can be thwarted.
Job 42:3 You asked, ‘Who is this that obscures my counsel without knowledge?’
Surely I spoke of things I did not understand,
things too wonderful for me to know.

Job 42:4 “You said, ‘Listen now, and I will speak;
I will question you,
and you shall answer me.’
Job 42:5 My ears had heard of you
but now my eyes have seen you.
Job 42:6 Therefore I despise myself
and repent in dust and ashes.”

While the temptation is certainly to despise myself for asking such a dumb question
and figuratively repent in dust and ashes,
I also know that's not the response God is looking for.

We know that, because here's how God responded to what Job said -