Day 142: Job 4, 5 and 6

We have examined this, and it is true. So hear it and apply it to yourself. (Job 5:27)

Word of mouth is one of the most effective forms of advertising. Someone for whom we have respect tells us, I tried it and I like it. I think you’ll like it too. That carries a lot of weight. As that endorsement spreads from 1 to 2 to 7 to 1,000 people, we call it going viral. It attains a momentum of its own and becomes almost impossible to stop. Advertising agencies spend loads of cash to achieve that kind of success.

But there’s nothing more annoying than someone saying I should like something I don’t like just because they tried it and they liked it. I live in the Pacific Northwest and I don’t like coffee. Talk about pressure! It doesn’t matter if your favorite brand really is the world’s best cup of coffee. To me that means it actually tastes even more repulsive than the other brands. And no, thank you, I have no desire to acquire the taste.

Job’s friends ascribed to the popular philosophy of the day: Do right and you’ll prosper; do wrong and you’ll suffer. But no matter from whom or how many Job heard that message; he still couldn’t accept it, because he knew it wasn’t true in his life.

Have you ever felt pressured to accept someone’s remedy for your life’s circumstances even though you knew it didn’t fit?