Monday, September 27, 2010

What Is Your Whale?

I was the moderator for a situation that happened on my job. I work as a resident emergency coordinator for an independent senior community. There were two men, one spoke Russian the other claimed to have Parkinson's disease. They both live on separate floors. One decides to go to his apartment and became disoriented. We found that they each have a key that fits the other's door. It was difficult to understand what the other was saying. Though I have tried to study Russian to make my job easier I get distracted, yet I was able to make out that he was ready to call the police believing that one elderly man in shorts and a cane stole from the other. It wasn't until the wife of the man with the Parkinson's disease came and explained what has happened and that it wasn't intentional. Her husband was disoriented. I understood this, but even with an interpreter there, it didn't deescalate a thing until the wife said the same thing I did only in Russian.

I suppose this is a convoluted way to make my point but bare with me. I had a discussion in a bible group where I got tired of the person leading the class referring to the devil as if he had some sort of credence on the lives of the righteous. She was making all of these warning signs and to make sure to have the whole armor of God on or else - dum-da-dumdum- da! I just got tired of it and had to say something. Enough is enough. If you have the faith that God said for us all to have then we can walk through trouble like Jesus did and nothing is able to touch us. We have the Holy Spirit guiding us, God never leaving us, mercy and grace behind us, and we are following Jesus - why are you thinking about the devil and what he can and will do? Jesus is our defense and the judge in any trial - what? I guess I spoke too fast or too long because there was quiet for a little while. The following bible study people had studied for hours and had scriptures to refute what I said. It was the coolest thing for me and sort of sad at the same time.

Jonah had this calling on his life where he was suppose to speak to a group of people. God specifically told him to go there. Jonah didn't want to go. He said the people weren't going to believe him anyway so why should he waste his time. In some respects I could relate (people can be irritating) to what he was saying but still - God told him directly. This is irrefutable. So no matter the warnings Jonah received, he still got on a boat to go where he chose to go. The storms that came the fishermen knew something was wrong (Jonah 1:5 KJV). How did they know this, not being believers themselves? They were all going to die because of the disobedience of one man and they knew it. Jonah agreed to be thrown out of the boat for their salvation. The whale that came to swallow Jonah was a direct result of his disobedience. He was there alive in the belly of a whale slowly being digested. Jonah was going to die unless he changed his mind to do as God told him to do. He did and when he did, Jonah moved with a quickness (Jonah 3:3-4 KJV).

Why does it have to get to that point to be obedient? Do people have to go through some sort of storm, illness, ailment, trouble, issue, problem, financial, or family loss to realize that if they had done what was on their mind and heart to do, all of that could have been avoided? The Word tells us that when sin matures it looks for its wage - death.

What about people with these incurable diseases? Where do they come from? Doctors say that they are genetic - its in the blood - a generational thing. What if it was just a change of behavior? What if we got all of the stroke patients together and found the common thread in all of them? What if the common thread was pretending to be ill when there is absolutely nothing wrong with you or seeking unnecessary attention because of low self esteem? In this senior community, I am finding common threads in people (aside from them being elderly). There are personality traits that seem familiar even when the two people aren't related.

The Parkinson's diseased residents have wives of whom I initially felt sorry for. But in watching them, they move so quickly as if they are pleased that they are needed. In that bible study group one woman is disabled from a stroke. She sits in a wheelchair. Her legs move but she assists one arm with the other. Another woman claims that she must go to dialysis treatments. She also says she is diabetic and according to the doctors, she can eat what I know would not be good for her condition. I tried to tell her about nutrition and she became annoyed with me. Her deciding not to listen was annoying to me as well. I look at them and pray knowing that God is good and His mercy endures forever (Psalm 136:1 AMP).

What would be your whale? Where is it that you decided your way is better then what God said to do? He is there and here and knows the better path. What is in your prayer closet that you confessed to Him and keep picking it back up to worry over? Is it as simple as studying a language to make a job or living environment easier or getting some counseling to improve on your self esteem? Could it be not embellishing on facts or falsifying documents that you think no one else will know or see? Sin does mature just like a seed in rich soil. Without confession and repentance, the harvest will manifest. Why should digestive juices begin to decompose your body before you do what is right?

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