This morning, I preached the story of Jonah. I know you’re already thinking, “I’ve heard this all my life. I learned it in Sunday School and watched the Veggie Tales version. I’ve got this.”
I will not rehearse the basic details of the story, but I will highlight the main thought from my message. Jonah is typically known for running from God. God told him to go to Nineveh, and he went the opposite direction. Jonah eventually obeyed, but not for the right reasons.
I want you to ponder this thought today – Jonah was not running from God but from himself. You may ask how I arrive to that conclusion. Jonah hated the Ninevites because they were wicked. He did not want them to repent and turn to God, so he thought he would avoid his hatred for them by avoiding them. Someone else would preach God’s message to them, right?
How many of you have run? You moved to a different location to avoid the problems that took place somewhere else. You had sex because you thought you were loved rather than an object of lust. You buried your life in your work because it kept you from facing your marital and parenting problems. You ran to alcohol or drugs to avoid the life you don’t like. Does any of this sound familiar?
Some of you are running now. Others have run before, and others of you may find yourself running in the near future because you can’t cope with reality. God invites you to run to Him. He wants to help you. He won’t take away all your problems, but He will give you grace to process through them.
I’ll end with this song that calls us to be sensitive to those in our lives and specifically church who are running 100 miles an hour in the wrong direction.
Matthew Winters (Honest Thoughts from a Pastor) 
Hmm very true and straight to the point. Thanks for sharing and ministering to our hearts! God bless!
Thanks, Matthew! Running is a natural reaction to pain and suffering. At some point, however, we grow weary. When we surrender to the will of God, there’s a shift in the atmosphere. Praise God!
Good thought, I have never seen that truth in that story. It is human nature to run from the problems we face, but the face of our problems is the face we see in the mirror.
So true!