I don’t want to be a post-Nineveh Jonah…

So many people are hurting right now but we’ve isolated ourselves, both out of necessity for the status of the pandemic and out of convenience found in the isolated moments.

I log into social media and I see lots of folks posting their opinions but also lots of folks with pointed statements or division. Have we become so desensitized as an isolated hoard that we have actually forgotten that on the other side of our screens are other flesh and bone folks, just like us? Have we allowed our own personal opinions to become so weighted inside ourselves that we’ve forgotten there is beauty in the pieces that make us each unique?

I’ve read so many posts today, political and non, that have outlined all of the reasons audience members are “wrong” if they don’t feel one way or another. Each time I came across one, I noticed trends that had lots of blanketed statements around what was fundamentally incorrect about an individual who aligned one way or another. I came across one particular post from a personI love dearly that outlined any person of a particular party as without morals and essentially unworthy of being associated with.

My heart hurts. My heart hurts that some of these “fundamentally incorrect” points pertain to my beliefs and/or political affiliations but are untrue and non-applicable of me, personally. My heart hurts to see so many people forgetting that those folks they’re arguing so boastfully with are his/her brothers and sisters. My heart hurts because I know that when we are divided so completely and distinctly, we forget we need one another to stand.

Please don’t confuse my statements to be synonymous with not believing we must stand for truth and hold our convictions. This is most definitely not true. “The truth will stand when the world is on fire” is a statement I believe in. I also believe that it is my job, as a believer and follow of Jesus Christ, to proclaim the truth surrounding my Heavenly Father and support my brothers and sisters around me in love while allowing the Holy Spirit to move openly in and through my life.

However, I also hold to the commandment that I should love my neighbor as I love myself and I know that this isn’t a possibility when I’m on a soapbox speaking down to the folks who happen to be standing near my self-elevated perch. I don’t believe that my standing on any subject makes me of greater importance than someone else. I don’t believe that anyone who disagrees with my interpretations or feelings or in need of a good tongue lashing from me. While I do hold very adamantly to my convictions and am governed by a strong moral compass, I also know that not everyone identifies in the same manner I do.

I believe that Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life. That no man can come to the Father except through him. I take note that nowhere in that statement does Jesus advise that no man can come to the Father unless they align themselves as a Republican, Democrat, Libertarian, or the like. I also believe that the Bible is correct when we’re advised we will know one another by the fruit that we bear. I never want to be so planted in myself and my own desire to be “correct” that I’m not bearing the right fruit or that I could possibly cause my brother or sister to stumble. It is my job to get out of the way, remove my personal opinions, and allow the Holy Spirit the room to do what only He can do.

It is my job to love. To show kindness and be a reflection of my Heavenly Father, to the best of my ability (and allow the Holy Spirit to make up for the pieces I fail in). To remember that despite my own shortcomings and/or those of my neighbor(s), we are each loved beyond our own comprehension and called to be set apart.

I don’t want to be a post-Nineveh Jonah. Jonah did so many great works for the Lord but is known for his story surrounding Nineveh. He was directed to go minister but refused to go due to his hatred (and fear) of the people, tried to run away, spent 3 days inside a great fish, only to go where he was told, deliver the message, have it be received miraculously but then TOTALLY miss the point. Jonah was so wrapped up in his delight for what he thought should happen, what was “deserved” for the people of Ninevah, that he completely missed God. An entire city was saved because the Lord moved and used Jonah’s act of obedience to serve and all he could do was sit on the hillside and pout that they were alive. I don’t want to be so wrapped up in my own justifications that I completely miss recognizing the work my Heavenly Father is doing.

Just my heart on this post-election day. Be blessed!