Monday, May 12, 2008

 

Whenever I read the story of Jonah in the Bible, my mind confronts me with a theological enigma. 

 

When he ran away from God's call to go and preach repentance to Ninevah and  took a ship headed to Joppa which was in the opposite direction, Jonah realized he was incurring the wrath of God.  So when a great storm arose and the ship was in danger of capsizing, he confessed his sin to his shipmates.

 

Although they already knew that he was fleeing from the Lord, they still were reluctant to cast Jonah overboard, and so they prayed to the Lord, "Lay not upon us innocent blood."  Jonah 1:14.  Yet Jonah knew that his being thrown into the sea would be the only way to save the ship.

 

In my mind I am still wondering if Jonah's participation in this event was a heroic act on his part ... a leap of desperation ... which occurred when he knew that he was the cause of his life's floundering.  Or if it was a leap of faith ... which occurred when he realized that whatever happened to him, he knew that his life, even if he was thrown overboard, was in God's Hands.

 

I often  think of the story of Jonah when we receive new guests here at the Mission.  I wonder if their coming here is a leap of desperation as they seek to begin to change their lives by attending our classes and counseling sessions and acknowledge that they are often the cause of their life's floundering.  Or if coming here is for them a leap of faith reflecting an abiding belief that their lives are in God's hands.

 

Whatever the case, each decision is a heroic leap and I always look on every new guest with a great degree of admiration, all the while knowing that we will do whatever we can for them while they are under care and in Our Hands.