The first part of your question emphasizes how God loves to bless us, for He surely does “put people in one’s life to share the most amazing memories.” In other words, God is so good to us in allowing us to know people, to love them and to be loved by them, and to make memories together with them. So, why does He take them away from us?

One of the most amazing statements of faith in the Bible was spoken by a man named Job. After losing nearly everything he had, he could say, in Job 1:21, “Naked came I out of my mother’s womb, and naked shall I return thither: the LORD gave, and the LORD hath taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD.” Job knew that everything was a gift from the Lord, and that the Lord had every right to take it away. Earlier in the chapter we learn, in verse 2, that “…there were born unto him seven sons and three daughters.” What a blessing from the Lord! The Lord had “put them in Job’s life” and I’m sure many “amazing memories” were made as they enjoyed life together. Yet in one day the Lord “took them away,” for we read in verses 18-19 that they were all in a house and “there came a great wind from the wilderness, and smote the four corners of the house, and it fell upon the young men, and they are dead.” The servant who told the news to Job went on to say, “I only am escaped alone to tell thee.” Job’s reaction to this, as we saw from verse 21, was profound, for instead of questioning God’s goodness, he praised Him. He didn’t become bitter or blame God, as many are inclined to do.

There are lessons here that we need to take to heart. As we have seen, Job acknowledged the children he had as a gift from the Lord, but he also acknowledged that the Lord had every right to take those children from him. We must do the same. It’s easy to acknowledge the former; it’s another thing to accept the latter! In verse 21, Job refers to both his birth and death. He realized that all men, including his children, are born into this world and ultimately they die. Romans 5:12 states, “Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned.” Hebrews 9:27 echoes this truth, “It is appointed unto men once to die…” When a loved one dies we should not be surprised, for every man, woman, boy and girl will die. Job accepted this fact and it enabled him to praise God for giving him children and for the time they did have together.

There is another precious lesson from Job’s story that will help us to accept it when God takes our loved ones away from us. We know that Job not only lost his children but he lost all his possessions. In Job 42:10 we learn that after Job’s trial was ended “the LORD gave Job twice as much as he had before.” In verse 12 the doubling of Job’s sheep, camels, oxen and she asses are listed, but in verse 13 it says, “He also had seven sons and three daughters.” Why didn’t God double his children? Ah, dear ones, the answer to this is most precious, for in truth God did double his children, for Job NEVER REALLY LOST HIS FIRST CHILDREN! They had been taken home to heaven and Job would see them again!! If we lose loved ones who are saved, and we are saved, we WILL be reunited with them in the glory. This surely lessens the pain when God is pleased to take a loved one from us. We will still have sorrow, but as we see in 1 Thessalonians 4:13, we “sorrow not, even as others which have no hope.” God has given us a promise that we’ll see them again and with this “blessed hope” we can join Job in saying, “the LORD gave, and the LORD hath taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD.” (158.2) (DO)