"I've become a brother to jackals and a companion to ostriches"

I find the above sentence taken from Job 30:29 interesting. It is not complimentary at all if someone says that of us. I like the way Job described his dire situation. In other bible translations you find "dragons and owls" instead of jackals and ostriches. All these animals are not very pleasant to be with.
Jackals generally go about in small companies. Their peculiar howl may frequently be heard in the evening and at any time in the night. It begins with a high-pitched, long-drawn-out cry. During the night the ostriches make very doleful and hideous noises; which would sometimes be like the roaring of a lion; at other times it would bear a nearer resemblance to the hoarser voice of other quadrupeds, particularly of the bull and the ox. Understand they groan as if they were in the greatest agonies.
In Job 26:2-4, he said "What a help you are to "the weak!"... And whose spirit was expressed through you?" Haha, Job can be quite sarcastic ;) What sort of a friend am I to my sisters and brothers in Christ?As I read through Job and the way his friends responded to the situation he was in, I learnt the following lessons which I hope by His grace and wisdom, to be able to apply in my life when I encounter people who are suffering:

1) Our words can either heal or cause more hurt to the hurting.

2) To put ourselves in that person's shoes and lend a listening ear instead telling them what we know through our own worldly wisdom.

3) To empathize and offer words of comfort, directing them to GOD and His unchanging attributes because GOD does not fail man, only man will fail man.

4) Despite Job's complains and arguments, deep down in him he knows GOD is Sovereign and he can continue to trust in GOD. Job 1:21 "Naked I came from my mother's womb, And naked I shall return there. The LORD gave and the LORD has taken away. Blessed be the name of the LORD." Wow, what a declaration. I hope that whenever I am faced with adversities, I will be able to declare what Job declared and continue to cling on to GOD.

5) Job 26:5-14, Job described briefly the magnificence of GOD. Who can truly say they understand GOD? His friends thought they do and know a lot to "lecture" him. Do we commit the same mistakes many a times when we learn about someone else' problems? May GOD forgive us and help us not to prejudge but look at the speck of sawdust in our brother's eye and pay no attention to the plank in our own eye.

Am sure there are more lessons I can learn from Job as I continue with the next 10-11 chapters.