Over and Over Again, We See

Jonah is a short book, but it has so many different lessons to learn. When Jonah tells the other sailors to throw him in the water, not only does he know he did wrong by running from God, he also knows how to fix the problem that he has just caused. Why didn't he just jump into the water himself? Instead he waits for others to have the guilt upon them, by making them throw him in. After he is delivered from the fish, he turns and gives God's message to the people of Nineveh. But in this, there was never any pity for the people. He obeyed God in his actions, but his heart was still cold toward the people. Because his heart was still so hard, he sat in the hot sun and then blamed everyone else for his misery. "You feel sorry about the plant, though you did nothing to put it there. And a plant is only, at best, short lived. But Nineveh has more than 120,000 people living in spiritual darkness, not to mention all the animals. Shouldn't I feel sorry for such a great city?" In all of Jonah's problems, he never sees that it is his heart that needs to be changed. He knows why his problems are occurring, yet he is not willing to take responsibility for his behavior and change his circumstances.

Just like Jonah, we have all known what was the right thing to do. Yet, in our hardheartedness, we try and get others to take responsibility for our poor choices. Jonah should have obeyed in the beginning, but he didn't. Because of his disobedience he suffered the storm. Because of the storm, he had others throw him in the water. What he should have done was to jump in himself. How often I have found myself in bad situations, and because I did not want to suffer the consequences of my own choices, others had to do the work I was supposed to be doing. Then he chose to sit in the hot sun. And because of this choice, he suffered to the point of wanting to die. Over and over again, Jonah finds himself in bad situations. Over and over again, we see how hard his heart really was. Over and over again, we see it was his choice that he ultimately suffered.

How many of us are living life with a hard heart toward God? As I look at the things that I am still struggling with, I can see that it is still my own fault. It is the hardness of my own heart and the choices that I make daily, that bring trouble into my life. It is my responsibility to give my heart to the Holy Spirit, so that He can change my heart. If I would let go of my own selfish desires and hurts, I would be able to find true peace. It is not my husbands responsibility to make me happy. It is my choice in how I act, the situations I find myself in, and the consequences of my choices, are my responsibility. Others cannot help us with our sins. Because in relying on others, we will constantly find ourselves in the same situation struggling with the same hard heart. Only by truly turning our desires toward God, can we find peace and freedom from our addictions. Everyone has something they are addicted to. Once God reveals the truth to you about that sin, it is your own responsibility to follow what He desires for your life. Have you really turned your entire life over to Christ? What will it take for you to let go and find true joy? What are you holding on to that causes your heart to be hard toward God?