Amazing Grace and Stinky Fish



Amazing Grace and Stinky Fish



Sometimes you can be so stubborn that you even make a fish sick.  The account of Jonah in the Bible is a Sunday school favorite and one many children are familiar with.  If you don't know the full historical story, you can find it in the Old Testament of the Bible.  Or watch the Veggie Tales movie featuring some of my favorites, the famous "pirates who don't do anything".  

Jonah is told by God to go to a large city to the EAST of the coastal land in which he lived.  Being the courageous and compliant fella he was, he promptly jumped on a ship to go as far WEST as he possibly could.  Perhaps he may have been reluctant to do what God was wanting him to do.  Jonah's plan was flawless until a very nasty storm threatening to sink the ship he was on, and he asked to be thrown overboard thinking that would stop the storm and save the sailors.  Promptly a big fish Ubered him back to his point of departure ('Rerouting!") and vomited him onto a beach about three days away from that large city to the east.  You know; the one metropolis he was doing everything he could to avoid.  God seemed to be making a point.  Even the fish couldn't stomach Jonah's disobedience. He most likely smelled atrocious at this point.  The citizens of that city probably wanted to avoid him too! 

I'd like to think I'm not like that.  I'd like to think that if the God of the universe was gracious enough to ask me (of all people) to do something, I would feel honored and privileged and jump right on that job with no hesitation.  None of us deserve for Him to include us in any of His plans or activities.  Period. Yet He does.  In my mind I see myself charging Goliath like a boss as David did when the Philistine Big Guy was challenging God.  

Some stronger men than I have hesitated when the Lord made an invitation, however.  Charlton Hest...I mean Moses wasn't a slouch and he made all kinds of excuses to God why he wasn't the guy to break the Israelites out of Egypt.  Peter made a lot of bold statements about how he would stand up for Jesus, but when the rooster crossed the road and met the morning sun, the brash follower of Jesus froze.

Sometimes we have the best of intentions up front, but tend to have very weak follow through.  As for me, as much as I'd like to see myself Bravehearting my way into the fray at God's invitation, too many times I'm more reserved.  I allow far too many questions to dominate my thoughts rather than charging the line shouting "FREEDOM!!".  "What if I fail?"  "What if I don't do a good job?"  "What if I don't have the skills?" "What if I'm not good enough?" "What if I'm rejected?"  The more the questions are allowed to dominate, the more self doubt overtakes trust in God's ability and power.  God trusts us to do a job.  The problem is, we don't trust Him to do the job.

I think writing has been that for me.  I really think God wants me to write.  I keep pushing back and avoiding it.  What if I'm not good?  What if people don't like my writing?  What if I fail?  Self-confidence has never been my strong suit.  Especially in writing.  A teacher in high school after grading a short story I wrote for an assignment gave me a bad grade because she thought it was too good to be my own work so it was obviously plagiarism.  It wasn't.  Of course I didn't walk away feeling accomplished that she thought my work was that good.  I simply walked away.  People say we spend our adulthood getting over our childhood.  That is accurate.  

All of this to say, I'm finished running the opposite direction.  I'm embracing the grace of God to trust me of all people with such an honorable task.  I'm grateful that He trusts me with the job and that I'll trust Him to do it through me.  I don't want to do it for any other motivation but to do what I believe He wants me to do.  I think I'd better embrace it.  I don't like the nasty smell of fish.  FG


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