Yes, sadly it is true, I inherited my dad's tendency to exaggerate (lie). Confession is good for the soul... but that's not what this post is about...
My reading the last several days has taken me through familiar territory from my childhood in the book of Jonah. And here's the surprising thing to me from the 30,000 foot perspective: in Chapter 2 Jonah prays, confesses his own sin and the fact that his present circumstance (being in the belly of a great fish) is a direct result of his disobedience. (Sorely lacking in modern culture... but no shocker here.) He continues by saying that he would do what God had asked and he essentially confesses that God is gracious. OK, No big revelation here.
But much of Jonah's words and actions in Chapter 4 are about how displeased he is that God was gracious to the Ninevites. Now admittedly, the Ninevites were enemies of Israel and notorious for their unspecified evils. I suspect that it was much more heinous than slapping one another with fishes as the Veggie Tales portray.
I guess it's the hypocrite in me that sees the hypocrite in Jonah so clearly. He fully expected to be forgiven when he agreed with God that he was wrong and decided to go a new direction (the definition of repentance) but desired God to punish an entire nation without giving them a chance and without honoring their apparently sincere repentance.
Even sadder to me is that he had no compassion on those people. Jonah didn't desire their best interest at all. It seems his preaching to them was out or rote obedience to the Word of God. And even that was effective.
So should I be less furious at the folks that go down my street at 40 mph (posted 25) while I expect to go unpunished for routinely travelling 70 or more on a road posted 55 and right now posted at 45? How do I harmonize these? I believe I need to first admit my fault and mend my ways and then be righteously but graciously indignant at other law breakers -- with a knowing smile that says "been there, done that, have the T shirt and the bumper sticker" (bumpah stickah for you Maine-iacs)
It is this last point that is hardest for me... certainly I know that Jesus died for the sins of the whole world, but some of them (us) are really hard to love. Oh, the handsome and pretty ones that are well spoken and polite and civil are pretty easy to pray for and even talk to about what the Lord has done for me. But I mean the selfish and nasty ones, with bad habits and bad breath and ... Those last two sentences reveal the source of my problem: I evaluate people with 5 physical senses instead of with my heart. How do I cultivate a God-like love for the souls of everyone around me? The classical answer is pray for them and I agree with a caveat: I must pray like Jesus prayed - looking at their eternal value before their Heavenly Father with the fullest intent of being the feet through which God would answer. I must pray with a desire to let the prayer remold my own heart.
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