12-1-15 Find Your Own Way Home


I lived in the country which meant that I had to ride a bus to and from school. Unless, I missed the bus. Then I had to find my own way home. They did not try to find me. They did not go back for me. They expected me to do my part and show up on time for departure.

One time I missed the bus. I got no answer when I tried to call home. I decided to walk. I didn’t think it would take so long to walk the seven or eight miles. I occupied my mind with a pity party of my own during that time. Most people drove on by, some honked and a few stopped to harass me. This intensified my self-pity. About half way on my journey a teacher recognized me and gave me a ride home. Talk about mixed feelings! Since pity party was winding down and sore feet and fatigue was setting in anyway, I accepted the lift.

The Lord attended Jonah’s pity party and tried to show him how unnecessary that was. He tried to get Jonah to see he should be rejoicing. The interesting thing about this historical event is that it just ends. It seems God left him there to find his own way home. Talk about a long walk!

I am learning that obeying God with a sweet spirit helps me on this journey of life. Getting grumpy just makes it worse. The Bible doesn’t say what happened next, but I think it is safe to say that Jonah lived out his days miserably continuing his pity party.

“Then said the LORD, Thou hast had pity on the gourd, for the which thou hast not laboured, neither madest it grow; which came up in a night, and perished in a night: And should not I spare Nineveh, that great city, wherein are more than sixscore thousand persons that cannot discern between their right hand and their left hand; and also much cattle?” Jonah 4:10-11.

© copyright Kevin T Boekhoff
 https://tugsandnudges.wordpress.com/2015/12/01/find-your-own-way-home/

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