Favoritism
Jonah 4:1-11
Jonah’s Anger at the Lord’s Compassion
4 But to Jonah this seemed very wrong, and he became angry. 3 Now, Lord, take away my life, for it is better for me to die than to live.” 4 But the Lord replied, “Is it right for you to be angry?”5 Jonah had gone out and sat down at a place east of the city. There he made himself a shelter, sat in its shade and waited to see what would happen to the city.
This story reminds me of my young age, when I went out of my house at night, being angry at something about my mom. I don't remember what made me angry like that, but I guess it was because of her unfairness to me. I am the only girl in the middle of 5 siblings, who are all brothers. My mom used to tell me, "Be patient to your older brothers or be nice to your younger brothers." So I always should be the one who should be patient, not complaining about anything else, but that night, I must not have been so patient as usual.
I was in a little dark place around my house, and some minutes later, my mom and my brothers came toward me, calling my name, then strangely to say, I felt the love of them and I came home with them. That was the first and the last of my runaway from home in my life. I wonder why this scene was popped up on my mind. Jonah looks very selfish and like a man who is easy to be angry at something good, but I feel like I understand him as a man who has no knowledge nor understanding about his own Father.
He himself was also the beloved child of God who had taken care of him, providing so many things from nature, houses, even the position of announcing His message to His own people. However, he must have felt a kind of favoritism toward the people of Nineveh. Like the eldest son of the returned younger son who lost every property of father, who was angry to his father who was treating his younger son better than himself. Jonah and the elder son, including me, didn't know well about the love of God, mom, and his father.
The similarity of the three look the same: They didn't show any thanks to their providers and parents, and they had no mercy and compassion on the neighboring people, her brothers, and the younger brother who were in trouble. One more thing is that they didn't understand the heart of God and parents who love all the children, though their thought couldn't reach it and accept it.
To sum up, I was Jonah, which sounds like 요~나, this was me, but now I am a little different from that time, as I have been grown up, and I have more knowledge and unerstanding than ever, like the moment of realizing the love of my mom and my brothers. However, God' love is beyond it and I can't give thanks enough and there is no more complaining, because everything I have got and enjoy is all from God.
