There are times when we are faced with difficult and complex choices, some in the magnitude of life-or-death situations. These situations come out of the blue and catch us unaware. It happened to the sailors manning the fated ship boarded by the prophet Jonah in his ill-advised attempt to run away from God. The sailors could not have imagined the incident to forever change their lives.
Chugging Along Life’s Highway
The open seas were the sailor’s highway. They were chugging confidently along in their trustworthy ship all their lives with nothing to disturb their peace of mind. Then Jonah, the fugitive from God, came and chose their ship to hide himself in. Most of us live similar lives as the sailors. We live as peacefully as we can and try to stay on the safe side of the tracks. No matter how much we try to sculpt our lives according to our wishes, challenges almost always come up to disrupt our plans. Like what happened to Jonah’s sailors who were about to experience the most hideous storm.
Living a Life of Sin
The sailors were beholden to false gods. They were living a life of sin without knowing it. When Jonah appeared, they were set on continuing with their idol worship. Most people do the same way. We worship false idols like beauty, fame, respect, and wealth. We search high and low for these idols and place them on pedestals. Not until a Jonah comes along with a destructive storm in tow that threatens our lives do we open our eyes and go back to God as the sailors did.
A Complex Choice
Jonah asked the sailors to throw him into the sea to save their lives. His condemnation would lead to their salvation. The sailors were perplexed but they were left with no other choice. It is the same with us. We sometimes have to be resolute in leaving our baggage, our sins, behind and call out to God for help and forgiveness.
Author Chad Groen 