So I was driving back from Joann's fabrics this evening after buying some Avengers fabric for some new atikluqs (kuspuks) and our awesome red minivan came to rest at a stoplight. The vehicle in front of us had a bumper sticker on it that simply said, "Jonah 4:9-11." No picture, no other words, just the verses' address. How many of you could recite Jonah 4:9-11 from memory? What's that? You can't? That's ok, because I can't either. (Probably my Hebrew professor could, but not most people). So I asked Shirleen, who was in the passenger seat, to look it up on her handy dandy smartphone Bible (we like YouVersion: www.bible.com). She read it and I sure had to think about it for a minute. For your reference, here is the passage:
Jonah 4:9-11New International Version (NIV)
9 But God said to Jonah, “Is it right for you to be angry about the plant?”
“It is,” he said. “And I’m so angry I wish I were dead.”
10 But the Lord said, “You have been concerned about this plant, though you did not tend it or make it grow. It sprang up overnight and died overnight. 11 And should I not have concern for the great city of Nineveh, in which there are more than a hundred and twenty thousand people who cannot tell their right hand from their left—and also many animals?”
When I got home I googled "Jonah 4:9-11 bumper sticker" and you know what came up? Nothing. My only guess is that the bumper sticker was a custom creation. I would love to know why they made it. I can only imagine.
After hearing those verses, my thoughts were, "Stop complaining about yourself, and start caring for others." Jonah was so angry about God not being fair and God not taking care of himself that all he could think to do was complain. But God put Jonah in his place. God basically was saying, "Stop being so selfish and look at all those people who were on the path to eternal damnation! Start caring for those who need to know God's love!" Stop whining and start caring. I think that is an awesome message for those of us in comfy cozy America. There are so many people in this world that are lost and hurting that need the love of God. Why do we complain so much about our own lives? Let's get out there and feed the hungry, clothe the naked, care for the fatherless and the widow, welcome the refugees, adopt the orphans, and most of all, share the Gospel message of Eternal Life.
I think I want a Jonah 4:9-11 bumper sticker.
Stop whining and start caring.
Jonah 4:9-11New International Version (NIV)
9 But God said to Jonah, “Is it right for you to be angry about the plant?”
“It is,” he said. “And I’m so angry I wish I were dead.”
10 But the Lord said, “You have been concerned about this plant, though you did not tend it or make it grow. It sprang up overnight and died overnight. 11 And should I not have concern for the great city of Nineveh, in which there are more than a hundred and twenty thousand people who cannot tell their right hand from their left—and also many animals?”
When I got home I googled "Jonah 4:9-11 bumper sticker" and you know what came up? Nothing. My only guess is that the bumper sticker was a custom creation. I would love to know why they made it. I can only imagine.
After hearing those verses, my thoughts were, "Stop complaining about yourself, and start caring for others." Jonah was so angry about God not being fair and God not taking care of himself that all he could think to do was complain. But God put Jonah in his place. God basically was saying, "Stop being so selfish and look at all those people who were on the path to eternal damnation! Start caring for those who need to know God's love!" Stop whining and start caring. I think that is an awesome message for those of us in comfy cozy America. There are so many people in this world that are lost and hurting that need the love of God. Why do we complain so much about our own lives? Let's get out there and feed the hungry, clothe the naked, care for the fatherless and the widow, welcome the refugees, adopt the orphans, and most of all, share the Gospel message of Eternal Life.
I think I want a Jonah 4:9-11 bumper sticker.
Stop whining and start caring.
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