Gaining courage to be brave and get out of the whale …
God whispered – write. He was calling me to a new venture. Therefore, I tried on numerous occasions to start a blog. I am not a blog follower, so not really sure what I was doing. I also have a tendency to compare and would spend hours, days and months researching and then never start because it would never be good enough. But this time I have found the courage to be brave and write.
I have been compared to Jonah, since I have a tendency to run from God’s calling. Jonah sat in the whale for three days because he ran from God’s instruction. I have felt God tell me over and over to write. But I have chosen on numerous occasions to run and in turn sit in the whale. Here are some negatives from sitting in a whale 1) it is very lonely, therefore I spiral into bizarre scenarios in my mind, 2) I begin to stink. No one wants to get real close to a smelly person, 3) I am not obeying God and therefore, stop growing spiritually.
It is very lonely, therefore I spiral into bizarre scenarios in my mind
Sitting alone and brain chaos begins. Do you ever create imaginary fantasy conversations in your head? I am really good at this. Sometimes so good that I wonder if I could write a fiction novel. But then I get distracted, and begin going down another rabbit trail of bizarre scenarios. It’s like my head is a jungle and there is a monkey jumping from tree to tree. The trees represent all the randomness of life. This is not a healthy space.
I begin to stink. No one wants to get real close to a smelly person
Imagine sitting in a whale for three days. Uggghhh the smell. Pungent from the 16th century means “very painful or distressing”. This is how I imagine myself smelling. It’s like Pepe Le Pew from Looney Tunes. Nobody wanted to hang out near him. The green wave of stench followed him and preceded him. That’s powerful. God is wanting me to attract people fro His glory, not repulse them.
I am not obeying God and therefore, stop growing spiritually
When I step away from what God is calling me to do, I tend to avoid reading the bible. Growing spiritually is difficult when I am void of His word. All of these things – creating bizarre scenarios, being smelly and not obeying – are all trials.
Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. And let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing. James 1:2-4
I choose to obey His calling. If I sit in a whale and sulk like a child, I will remain the same. And as time goes by, I realize that sitting in a whale is hard and uncomfortable and I desperately want a change. So I find courage to be brave and get out of the whale.