I think of Jonah thinking, “Wow!
Ain’t it Great! Look at this! This plant grew up in a night and gave me shade
all day! I am so lucky! Now, if God would just get down to business and hit
Ninevah with a little shock and awe my day would be complete. I know, I know,
God said He would forgive them. But once He realizes how cruel they are, then
ZAP, He will leave Ninevah a smoking ash heap.” But as the sun warms the day,
Jonah notices that the plant is wilting.
God had prepared a cutworm to
kill the plant. I wonder what God had prepared for him if he had straightened
up his attitude. There are always consequences and rewards for decisions we
make. Jonah’s life had been miserable serving God because his attitude was bad.
He made his own life dismal. He missed out on the blessings God had prepared
for him. He acted more like a spoiled brat than a responsible adult.
I might not understand or agree
with God’s plan for my life, but I don’t have to make it worse by pouting
about. Parkinson’s or a flu bug or cutworms ruining my flowers or whatever
doesn’t have to make me bitter. I have found I can’t fix a lot of things, but I
can trust in the One who can.
This time of year I am reminded
to be thankful to God for everything. 1 Thessalonians 5:18 says, “In every thing give thanks: for this is the
will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.” This means I am to be thankful
for positive and negative things, good days and bad days. This keeps my
attitude right. I would rather see the blessings rather than the consequences
for my bad attitude.
“But God prepared a worm when the morning rose the next day, and it
smote the gourd that it withered.” Jonah 4:7.
© copyright Kevin T Boekhoff
https://tugsandnudges.wordpress.com/2015/11/25/aint-it-great/
No comments:
Post a Comment