Lately, like many of us, I have been overloaded with negativity and polarization of the recent presidential election. Whether you were for or against the victor, I believe we can all agree, violence is not the answer. Maybe, we should not be so Jonahish. Two years ago I posted “Change” focusing on the importance of looking at situations with a different mindset. Read more why we should be open to change as “…this world in its present form is passing away.” (1 Corinthians 7:31)
We can be like Jonah who hated the cruel Assyrians in the huge city of Nineveh and walk away from them. The result is total division like what I see in our society today. We hate one another’s beliefs and therefore consider anyone, not of our opinion, an enemy. Perhaps both sides of today’s conflicts deserve a chance to be heard and both need an open mind to hear. In Matthew 5:44, we are told to love our enemies and pray for those who persecute us. How can we practice love, if the other side is perceived as wrong and unwilling to compromise or change? We can stop being so Jonahish! When God came to him and said go to that great city, he fled because he did not want to love his enemies. The story could end like this in our current situation, if we remain like Jonah in our attitudes towards one another. What changed Jonah? Being swallowed by a big fish might have something to do with his change in attitude. You think? He prayed while in the belly of the fish for 3 days and nights ending his prayer with “…What I have vowed I will make good. Salvation comes from the Lord.” (Jonah 2:9) The Lord answered his prayer and gave him a second chance to fulfill his mission to become a change agent for the good of Nineveh and Israel who both were headed for destruction.
Jonah was asked again to love his enemies and this time with a renewed commitment convinced the big city to believe in change. Even though Jonah was not too happy about being used as a change agent and continued to argue for destruction, he was shown even those you disagree are part of God’s vineyard. All of us need to be nurtured in order to grow.
Perhaps, with a little care and understanding of one another, we too may grow, if we remain open to God’s loving miracles of reconciliation. T