We all know the story of Jonah and the “great fish”. Jonah did not want to do what God wanted Him to do, that is go to Ninevah and preach. Jonah thought that He could go in the other direction and outrun God to Tarshish. Why did he think that God was not going to be in Tarshish waiting for him? Why do we also think that God is not waiting for us to come to Him?
Jonah 1:3-4 says, “But Jonah rose to flee to Tarshish from the presence of the Lord. He went down to Joppa and found a ship going to Tarshish. So he paid the fare and went down into it, to go with them to Tarshish, away from the presence of the Lord. But the Lord hurled a great wind upon the sea, and there was a mighty tempest on the sea, so that the ship threatened to break up.” The storms of life are not meant to punish us, but rather to return us to God. When we choose to go out from the presence of God, we will have to pay for it in some way; there are consequences to our actions.
Reluctant Retiree 