Jonah 1
Today I turn from the New Testament stories of Jesus found in the book of Mark to a completely different story, the tale of Jonah.

I find I can relate to Jonah. God gave him a task that he didn't want to do, so he ran away. When Tim and I decided to become parents, and God blessed us with three wonderful children, I didn't know that I had signed on for the teenage years as well. I lived through the toddler years, while Tim, who loved his kids, nevertheless felt the responsibility of providing for our growing family and worked a lot.

Then came their elementary years, which seemed to sail by in relative calm.

But the teen years arrived with a fury. For the most part, things haven't really been that bad, but the past couple days have been hard, dealing with questionable choices for friends, dealing with hormones from mother and daughter, trying to stay on top of school work. I feel like Jonah, wanting to run to the nearest ship and board--to take a break and get far, far away from the stress of life with teens.

But running from the Lord is not the answer, as Jonah found out. He just encountered more storms and even the possibility of his life ending. His troubles were not ending, they were just beginning! Life outside of God's will is not a good place to be.

As I go through the storms that come my way, I pray that I will have the strength to sail in the direction God leads me--not jump ship for waters that turn out to be even stormier. I will hang onto my faith and my God, knowing that is the safest place to be even when the waves may batter my little boat. I'll hang on to Jesus, because after all, he gave everything for me. I hope it doesn't take being swallowed by a whale (or great fish) for me to learn that lesson.

- posted by Suzi @ 8:23 AM