Layers of Lessons

Today, I read the story of Jonah.  It was great to get into the word and read a familiar story, but I just didn’t feel like God was giving me anything in particular that I learned today.  I know, it is selfish of me to want God to teach me something new EVERY day, but I think if we look hard enough, God is everywhere.  So I read the story of Jonah and paused to reflect on it.  Really, my pausing was taping my kitchen to paint it and starting on the trim.  So I was still marinating on what God wanted to teach me as I went to get my kids.  Then I got home and started painting. 

For about a year, I have wanted to paint one wall in my kitchen red.  I love red.  It is such a fantastic color.  It is bold, and vibrant and just makes me happy.  So I began, painting trim, rolling, trim, rolling, trim, rolling…  and the cycle continued.  It seemed like it was nearly impossible to get everything covered perfectly.  Red is a hard color to work with.  So I am up on a step stool, reaching as far as I possibly can, realizing how difficult it is to paint with this stupid color and I realize that it is the color of blood.  (Yes, the walls are the color of blood. HA!)  Then it hit me, God wanted to teach me that red isn’t an easy color to work with- that is what God was teaching me today.

So my heart was black from all the sin that I do and have done, and Jesus took his blood (which just happens to be red) and covered that blackness.  He covered it and made my heart white.  Well, after the third layer of paint, and it still not lying right, I wondered if God ever gets frustrated with us.  He puts a coat on and primes us for what is to come, then slowly, He starts adding more and more layers to get the brilliant color that God wants. 

Jonah was a man of God, he was a good guy, but he wasn’t happy at the end of the story when God decided to spare Nineveh.  He was so mad at God.  Jonah didn’t like what God had to say, so he (4:5) “went out to the east side of the city and made a shelter to sit under as he waited to see what would happen to the city”.  God had told Jonah that He was not going to ruin Nineveh, but Jonah wasn’t happy with it…  Layer 1…  Then God planted a tree to shade Jonah (4:6) and Jonah was really grateful for the plant…  Layer 2…  BUT… God also sent a worm to eat through the trunk of it so that when the sun grew hot, it withered (4:7) …  Layer 3…  Then God arranged for a scorching east wind to blow and the sun to beat down and Jonah was complaining and crying out that death would have been better than loosing that plant… Layer 4…  Jonah was so upset but God told him (4:10-11), “… You feel sorry about the plant, though you did nothing to put it there.  It came quickly and died quickly.  (11) But Nineveh has more than 120,000 people living in spiritual darkness, not to mention all the animals.  Shouldn’t I feel sorry for such a great city?  That last part was God’s final coat of paint for Jonah.  He prepared him and when Jonah kept doing what he wanted, God kept applying lessons. 

I have had a lot of times that God has taught me lessons.  The good news is that he is never done with me.  He is always re-touching my heart as I get more and more sin.  He constantly has to put layer after layer into my life to make me see His love and His mercy. 

So, although it took multiple layers to cover my kitchen walls, it was totally worth it, not only did it look better than I originally hoped, but I was taught a good life lesson too.  God Bless Y’all!