our antihero

 Today we read one of my favorite stories in the Bible in the One Year Bible reading from the entire book of Jonah. 

Jonah is our antihero. He is a perfect example of what NOT to do when it comes to God's will. First, when God tells him what He wants him to do, he runs away. He goes in the opposite direction and tries to get as far away from God's will for his life as he can.

Then, when God finally forces him to do his mission (which he was created for in the first place), he does not care at ALL about the people he's warning. He WANTS them to be destroyed. He goes around Nineveh telling everyone that their city will be destroyed in 40 days. 

When the Ninevites actually LISTEN to Jonah and repent of their sins, which is EXACTLY what God wanted them to do, Jonah gets mad. He throws a tantrum AND a pity party, and even gets mad when the plant that God sends to give him shade dies. 

And he never learns the lesson. All the way up to the last verse, he's still complaining to God for being forgiving and loving of His people.

Don't be like Jonah. Remember that you will find the most fulfillment and joy when you're doing what He created you to do. That doesn't mean you'll always be perfectly happy and will have rainbows shooting out of your ears. But it does mean that your life will find its greatest meaning when you're doing His will for you.

God, thanks for using the story of Jonah to teach us what NOT to do.