TIMEOUT

Most of us grew up hearing the story of Jonah and the Whale. Have you ever heard the story and thought man I wish I could be Jonah. You’re probably thinking WHAT? Why would I want to be swallowed up and stuck in a big smelly fish for 3 days? So let me ask a different question then. Have you ever felt like you needed a timeout? Had times when you knew what was right but didn’t want to do it. And just kept heading in the wrong direction anyway? Later didn’t you wish someone would have just said okay that’s it you need a timeout! Stay here until you can clear your head cause you are not looking at this the right way and you really need to pull yourself together.


Sometimes I feel overwhelmed and feel that even if I was straight up told what to do by God I would either not know it was him and do my own thing anyway or be like Jonah and just not think God knew what he was talking about. Granted the whale wouldn’t be my first choice but sometimes I think I need a timeout just like Jonah got. I need God to say look this isn’t right and you are going to do this my way, and to make sure you do I’m giving you a time out, so sit here and think about the fact that you are doing something wrong and that you need to make better choices. God gave Jonah a 3 day timeout to realize that he wasn’t in the right. Just like when children aren’t listening and need a timeout to be reminded who is in charge and who knows what‘s best. They’re given a few minutes to themselves to re evaluate their actions, and decide if they want to continue on that same path or not.

Despite the fact we don’t hear of people being swallowed up by large fish and then spit out later, I’m sure God still intervenes when he feels we are just not getting what he wants from us, and he decides we need a little more help or time to get it together. It may not be by making us spend 3 days in a whale, it may just be not getting the job we thought was right or getting into the school we thought we were supposed to go too. He may take away things that we have been putting before him to help us get back on track. Put a struggle in our path to stop us from continually thinking we knew what was better for us then God did. Even though sometimes I feel like I could use a more obvious timeouts like Jonah got in the whale I still hold on to the fact that God loves us and will use whatever tactics he needs to make sure we know he’s in charge; And that in the end he is the one who truly knows what’s best.