The Story of Jonah

I was thinking about the story of Jonah. When we think of him, we automatically think about the whale and how he spent 3 days and nights inside its belly. There is so much more to this story though. Jonah was given the task by God to go to Nineveh and spread the word that God rules over all men and that all need to turn from sin and worship Him. You must understand that Nineveh was filled with the people of Israel’s very worst enemies. They were sinning greatly against God and were in need of redemption, but Nineveh was the last place on earth Jonah wanted to go. In fact, he ran in the opposite direction, which is what placed the ship he was on, along with all the men on it, in jeopardy. God was angered with Jonah’s resistance to do His will and he caused great tumult in the sea. Jonah realized this was his fault, so he threw himself into the sea so that the men and the ship would be spared. That is when the whale swallowed him.

While in the belly of the beast, Jonah felt great remorse. He knew that God had given him a very specific task and he was too afraid to see it through. Imagine, God Almighty Himself telling you to do something and you are going to fear the task more than God Himself? It sounds crazy, but then I thought about it a little and I realized that I am probably just like Jonah. Nineveh would probably be the equivalent in threat to the Jewish people as Syria is today. I will be honest; if God told me to go to Syria and spread the word of God there among people who want me dead, I would probably be just as resistant as Jonah was.

So Jonah repented and God made the whale spit him out onto dry land. He then ran through Nineveh and did as God told him to do. An amazing thing occurred. The people of Nineveh repented of their sins, turned to the God of Israel for forgiveness and they were redeemed. Jonah should have been thrilled, right? Well, he was not. He had what I read as a big old temper tantrum. He did not want the enemies of his people, the enemies that veraciously desired the annihilation of Israel, to be redeemed. He wanted them annihilated! God instructed and corrected Jonah yet again and Jonah, once again, realized the error of his ways.

Jonah was not exactly a willing servant, was he? His heart was good though. He cared so much for his people. He was really just reacting to that passion, the passion to protect his country. Although he was not the bravest, he ultimately did what was right in the sight of God. He had to learn a couple of hard lessons, but at least he was teachable.

Again, I can really relate to Jonah. I am certainly not perfect. Sometimes, I feel like a wimp when I allow my fears to stop me from doing things I know I need to do. I have made a lot of mistakes in my life, some big ones, but, just like Jonah, I remain teachable. Mistakes can be tremendous teachers if we remain teachable. Sure we can feel badly when we mess up. It is human nature to wallow for a time in our little pity parties, but it is so very important not to stay there. Look at the situation, find where you went wrong, own it, take responsibility for it and amend the behavior.

Those who blame others for their mistakes, blame the circumstances, or even blame God, tend to stay stuck in their pity parties. Their lives do not tend to work because they repeat the same mistakes, over and over again. They are not willing to see where they went wrong and if a person is not willing to do that, then he or she will not know to amend the behavior; therefore, the behavior will inevitably be repeated in one form or another. If Jonah had not repented and amended his behavior, he would have not only perished, but he would have taken a lot of innocent people down with him. I know I never want to be responsible for hurting other people because of my weaknesses.

So let us tie this all together. How can you apply the story of Jonah to your life? If you find yourself having to face an impossible task, accept that it is human to have fears and doubts. If you make mistakes or if you allow your fears to compel you to run in the other direction, then do not wallow in shame, regret or self-doubt. Allow yourself to be teachable and learn from your mistakes. Allow the situation to birth new wisdom within you. Take that newly acquired wisdom and use it for the next big task that is presented to you. Help others face their big tasks with less fear and doubt. Nothing is wasted by God, not even your mistakes. The really great news is this. As long as your soul is returned to you each morning, you have another chance to get it right! God bless!