I have this very nice tomato plant, or actually, vine, which grows in and pretty much fills our kitchen widow. I LOVE that tomato plant! It's so alive! It's a south window, so that helps. It's very green and lush. Sort of came up in a houseplant on its own. Has never had any fruit but it's very pretty.
Well today I came home from running errands and after a bit noticed it was very droopy! Very thirsty and not looking too good.
:Chinscratch: Must have forgot to water it lately! You likely know how much water tomato plants like! I sure hope it perks back up!
But now I know how Jonah felt about the little tree or bush he took advantage of its shade for a couple of days... the only shade.. And when the tree withered and died Jonah was very upset. He loved that tree! It was the only one!
And what did our dear heavenly Father say? "Jonah, you're so upset about one tree and how do you suppose I feel concerning this whole city full of people? Which are so much more important than a tree!" (paraphrased from my sketchy memory but i think i have the gist of it..
As U.R. recognizes, yes He loved and cared about those people! As opposed to "they'll perish, suffer horribly forever, oh well".
Sorry. Just not logical. Proof of UR is His character!? And attributes.
....have a Good Weekend! :hiya:
Your story, Maria, reminds me of a chapter from the book, known as, The Little Prince, by Antoine de Saint Exupery.
Here is a chapter of it. http://www.angelfire.com/hi/littleprince/framechapter21.html The Prince is speaking to the fox, about his rose, and why she is unique....because he has loved her and protected her....and now, she is different from every other rose.....because she is his rose.
I think this theme, is so beautiful. I used this chapter in college for my calligraphy project, which hangs in my bedroom, even now.
When I was young, I so wanted to feel cherished by someone, the way the Prince cherished that rose. I knew God loved me, but, I just didn't feel His love then, the same way I do now. It was somehow, more distant then. I had faith, but I did not understand what it meant to trust Him, and without that trust, our bond was weak. Trust is such an integral part of a relationship. I did not hear God's voice then. I had no idea that I really and truly could hear His voice.
For each of us, at some point in our journey, God must become bigger and greater than anything else we treasure, and to feel that way, means that we have discovered, just how very much He loves us.
We are each the tree or the rose of great price, to Him,.....He has counted every hair on our head...... and when we see that, we will know that He is the pearl of great price....the pearl that we sell everything we have for.....because He is the one that out shines all the rest. He is the only one that can love us with a love that never fails.
Matthew 13:45-46
The Parable of the Pearl of Great Price
45 "Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant seeking beautiful pearls, 46 who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had and bought it.
Matthew 6:20 - 22
...20But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. 22The eye is the lamp of the body. If your vision is clear, your whole body will be full of light....
D. :tender:
In a sense, Jonah is the church. Sent to deliver the world, yet always fleeing and resenting the mission and craving protection from the heat of the sun. And only when that protection withers does Jonah get face to face with God, and receive the reproof that reveals all that God is about... the salvation of all, the deliverance of all those Jonah hated and judged and separated himself from.
I see Jonah as all of us, when God gives us a mission, or a child, or a family, or a neighbor, or a situation, or whatever it is, that we decide is not for us, but He has decided otherwise. We make our own rules; keep our distance; put boundaries where He does not want us to put them; make excuses; tell ourselves that this was not in our plans; use our own criteria and not His, to decide what our steps should be. We tell ourselves, it is not do-able, we should not have to endure it, there are too many problems, it does not meet up to our expectations, and so on.
Woe to us.........we will miss out on blessings that were important; learning experiences that we should have had; relationships that would have brought us closer to God; opportunities to grow in the Lord, that we turned our nose up at. We chose our will and not God's. We take detours into the darkness, instead of remaining in the light. We tell God that what plans He had for us, are not good enough. We think we escaped, but, God will have His way, somehow, in our lives, despite ourselves. It is only a matter of time. Just like with Jonah.
I think I made my point. :teaching:
D.
Amen, Dandelion! I especially loved about the rose.. and the pearl (of great price) :thumbsup: :gsmile:
Quote from: eaglesway on March 07, 2017, 03:30:23 AM
...the salvation of all, the deliverance of all those Jonah hated and judged and separated himself from.
:2thumbs: amen!