Question: I have been a Christian almost all my life. A few years ago I had to have open-heart surgery, which caused a stroke, messing up my ability to do my job. I ended up losing a job that I was good at and enjoyed thoroughly. I feel like Job in the Bible in that I have lost everything because the thing I did best was taken away from me. I have always heard that when God closes one door He opens another. I find myself getting down and not knowing which way to turn. I try to keep my faith, but I feel I am losing. I try to live in the present moment, but find that it is getting harder to do.

Answer: God never forsakes the soul that loves Him… never. The problem is, our souls (as they presently are) lack spiritual understanding. We think we are who we think we are, and these thought-constructed natures — these images we hold of ourselves — are in a form of enmity with God. For these reasons, when God gives Himself to us, we often don’t understand the gift. Take Job, for instance. His trials and willingness to endure them, in spite of everything, did not confuse his love for the Almighty. Why? Because he knew in his heart that God is good. Sure, His tests may be tough, but for whatever reasons, God only gives tough tests to those whom He needs to be tougher.