Deacon John Writes:
I suspect many of us have experienced a toddler having a temper tantrum. It is usually a very noisy occasion and not a pretty sight – face red with rage, screams shattering eardrums of all within range, legs and arms kicking anyone and anything within reach! usually it is the result of an ‘I want’ situation and doesn’t get it. We adults, of course, know better than to throw tantrums when we don’t get our way! – or do we?
We have listened to the story of Jonah. In this story Jonah was counting on the Lord to punish the people of Nineveh because of their belief that God was against every nation that opposed Israel. However, they heard the message that God had sent them and changed their minds. God saw this through their actions and relented. Jonah was not happy about this and ‘lost it’. In so many situations we may behave like Jonah and ‘lose it’. We sulk or lash out and look for other ways to get what we want. Anger really can blind us, as it did Jonah, and we fail to see that God’s loving mercy for the people of Nineveh is also offered to us if we open our eyes to see with a wide-angle lens! (Adapted from a reflection by Gail Goleas) With my love and prayers for you all