Jonah And The Worm

Jonah 3:10-4:11

There's one question I ask children and adults which, almost 100% of the time, gets the same response of a look of confusion as well as a disbelief in my knowledge of bible stories: Do you know the story of Jonah and the worm?

We all know about the whale, but almost none of us know about the worm. We've all been told of how Jonah was a reluctant prophet, unwilling to speak on behalf of God to a people Jonah felt had no chance at forgiveness from God. We all know about how God made a storm come upon the sea as Jonah was travelling and how the ship's crew, fearing for their own lives, threw Jonah overboard to calm the storm. We all know of how a whale swallowed Jonah and spit him up on the shores of Nineveh to do God's bidding anyway.

But, a worm? What does a worm have to do with the story?

We have a student in our classes who stopped coming to school half-way through his freshman year. This year he's a senior, but with nowhere near enough credits to graduate. Most of the teachers don't know what to make of the situation because on the one hand he honestly doesn't have the skill-set to do the necessary work in order to pass their classes, but on the other hand he wants to try.

Some of the teachers have had an "I told you so" moment with this student, while others have simply chosen to ignore him. But, there are one or two of us who are willing to work with him, as long as he is willing to do the work himself. I will tell you that this young man is kind, gentle, and wants to do what is right. He knows he doesn't have the skills to succeed, but he also admits that that's why he's back in school.

As for myself, I have seen him try, and I have confidence he can learn what he needs to in order to be successful in life. But, I will also admit it took a lot for me to get outside of my comfort zone in order to take the time necessary to give this young man the attention he deserves.

If we are to understand the lesson of the story as told in Jonah, it isn't our duty to judge others, only our duty to work with them to somehow improve their lives, just as long as they are willing to do their part as well. Sometimes all we need is a worm to remove our comfort zone to realize where our heart truly is.

Love Knows No Bounds

Psalm 103:(1-7), 8-13

I saw a video post yesterday which touched me deeply. It showed an elderly women laying on the ground, obviously unable to do more than lay there. She looked as though she was well into her 90's and had advanced Alzheimer.

Sitting next to her was her son, a man who seemed to be in his 60's. He had a bowl of something that looked like cream of wheat in his hands and was slowly feeding his mom, taking one spoonful at a time from the bowl to her mouth. She would open her mouth to take in the meal, absent-mindedly chew it, then swallow. At which time her son would give her another spoonful.

What's so great about this, you might be asking. See for yourself.

If you're not on Facebook, I apologize for your not being able to actually see this video. What the video shows is that the elder lady's son has no hands. He is sitting with his legs crossed, holding the bowl of porridge on his lap, and with the spoon firmly held between the stubs of his two wrists, he feeds his mother, one spoonful at a time - careful not to drip anything on her.

Now that's compassionate, merciful, patient, and faithful love.

The Guardians Of...

Psalm 119:33-40

Guard:  a state in which someone is carefully looking for possible danger, threats, problems, etc.

When was the last time you guarded something?

Protect, sure. Defend, more likely. But guard, I'm not sure.

To guard something means to be proactive as to how safe we keep something. Actions such as defend or protect usually mean that danger or harm to that which is important to us is imminent and in need of being kept secure. When something is guarded, it's done so at all times; whether or not danger is at hand.

When my son went to his first party as a teenager, my wife and I promised each other we wouldn't worry. He was with people we knew, the friend who came to pick him up was the son of a family friend, and we trusted our son completely. There wasn't anything to worry about.

My wife and I stayed up to watch TV and before you knew it we fell asleep on the couch. We heard our son come home and woke up, pretending to be asleep because we didn't want to be those parents who stayed up all night waiting for our kids to come home. It took all the will power I had not to snicker as he quietly sneaked by us to get to his bedroom, trying not to wake us up.

After he settled into his bedroom, my wife and I moved to our own bedroom, almost laughing as we too moved quietly so as to not wake him up. The next day she and I talked about what happened, and we both agreed that our actions were a way of being sure we would be available if our son needed us for anything. In a sense we were guarding him - keeping him in our thoughts and actions so that we would be at hand for whatever might happen.

In today's Psalm, the psalmist says that if God will teach him what is expected to live an acceptable life that he will do everything he can to keep those teachings safe. The writer states that he will guard every part of those teachings
. Just as my wife and I did with our son, the psalmist will keep God's teaching as a living part of his mind, heart, and soul, being available at all times to protect the words God has given.

What do you guard?