We all remember Jonah’s Bible story because he was swallowed by a whale, but did you know his ancient story is filled with power, emotions and meaning – even for us today!  

To show you what I mean, consider the time I went snowshoeing through a giant forest by myself.   When I got to the parking lot trailhead, no one else was there.  The snow was fresh and deep and two hours later, I was deep in the woods on my snowshoes.  Eventually I came to a cross-country ski trail and I stopped on the edge of it to adjust my snowshoes.  

As I knelt down to tighten the strap a lone cross-country skier startled me.  We must have been the only people within 50 square miles.  As he whizzed past me, he shrieked for all the woods to hear, “This trail is for cross-country skiing only.”  

I should have laughed, but instead, I screamed something ugly at him and thankfully, he kept going.   To say we were both self-righteous would be an understatement.  

All this reminds me how Jonah eventually went to the city of Nineveh where he proclaimed, “Forty more days and Nineveh will be overthrown.” Jonah 3:4 NIV.   The Bible says that Jonah enjoyed his “hell-fire and damnation” lecture and couldn’t wait for Nineveh’s destruction.  

He even climbed a hill just so he could watch God destroy them.  But, when the king and all the people of Nineveh repented, God spared the city.  And believe it or not, instead of being happy, Jonah got so angry at God that he actually prayed for death.

I’ll bet a lot of us have had self-righteous times like Jonah, the skier and like me.  Kind of scary isn’t it.  But the good news is that God understands and still loves us.  Instead of striking Jonah down, the Lord simply replied, “Is it right for you to be angry?” Jonah 4:4 NIV.  

What a God we have!  And what a good question for you and me today!  “Is it right for you and I to be angry?”

Heavenly Father, thank you for loving us all the time, especially when we are so undeserving.  Help us to do our very best in being gracious to others – the same way that you are so very gracious to us.