We’re a week
into Lent and I’m still undecided on what my Lenten sacrifice should be this
year. The sacrifice we choose should be
something that brings us closer to God. As
is my custom, I turned to the Word of God (the Bible), to help me discern. One verse in particular has given me
something to consider.
"When God saw by their actions how
they turned from their evil way, he repented of the evil that he had threatened
to do them; he did not carry it out." [Jonah 3:10]
I know I’m
getting old and sometimes my mind wanders, but did I read that verse correctly
and in context?
God . . . repented!
It boggles
my mind to think of God repentant. I
always associated repentance with one in need of God's forgiveness and
grace. The notion of God considering His
love for the Ninevites, their response to Jonah and deciding that no, after
all, He wouldn’t punish them somehow brings me closer to the Lord [Jonah 3:1-10].
Jonah's
story speaks to me of God's deep love for all of us. Nothing but deep love is so swift to
recognize sincere repentance, so quick to turn anger aside and embrace
reconciliation. How apt this story is for
the season of Lent!
In a passage
from Luke, Jesus castigates an "evil generation" because it demands a
sign, a show, a proof. He compares the
generation unfavorably with the Ninevites, who heard the word of God through
Jonah and accepted it instantly [Luke 11:29-32].
How many
times have I demanded some sign, some proof, not only from God, but from
friends, family members, people I love? Why
does God, or anyone else, have to prove anything to me?
Yet, like
Jonah, sometimes I’m unwilling to give God a break. Sometimes I’m unwilling to give anyone a
break, including myself.
Maybe I
could avoid this kind of harshness, for Lent at least. It might just bring me closer to God.
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