‘Blue Sky Solutioneering’ is a phrase I first heard from Merlin Mann on the Back To Work podcast. The idea was that you (singular or plural) would just pluck solutions to complex problems out of thin air and then worry about how to realize them later. This is a common male problem, though I wonder if perhaps some women suffer from this as well. Men need to provide answers. We need to fix problems. We are natural-born solutioneers. My wife is helping me to understand scenarios where solutioneering is not helpful.
Such is the case with Job… or, more accurately, Job’s friends. In the case of grief, loss, and tragedy, this is not what we should be doing. These types of problems are not ones to be ‘fixed’. These types of problems are ones that need healing. And the business of healing is really God’s domain. It takes time. We need to talk about what has happened. We need to wrestle with our sometimes (often?) unreliable emotions. We need to come to the centre of what it is that has wounded us, and we need to allow the scar to form. The problem still is not ‘solved’, nor is it ‘gone’. It shapes us and informs how we will respond and react to similar events both in our lives and the lives of others going forward.
Job’s friends try to apply logic and reason to a soul wound. This is not the way. Their approach is cold and cliché and trite. Even if their words – for the most part – are true. The Apostle gives solid advice to this problem. Romans 15:9-13, 15 says:
“Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. Be devoted to one another in love. Honour one another above yourselves. Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervour, serving the Lord. Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. Share with the Lord’s people who are in need. Practice hospitality. Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn.”
I can’t help but wonder if Job’s friends drove Job’s frustration with God via their cliched responses and solutioneering. Our role is simply to ‘be there’ for people, God will heal the soul wound. We can look at the logical, reasoned response once the scar is formed.