But Jonah got up and went in the
opposite direction to get away from the LORD. He went down to the port of
Joppa, where he found a ship leaving for Tarshish. Jonah
1:3 NLT
When we’re
looking, she’s a perfect little angel, but when we’re not…
Our six-month-old
Chihuahua mix was kennel trained when we got her, so when we left the house—and
at night—we put her in what she was accustomed to. She didn’t yelp, and we
didn’t have to worry about her getting into trouble.
But I hate
putting a dog in a kennel or on a chain, so after she reached nine months of
age—and had shown herself capable of behaving when we were gone—my wife and I
began leaving her out while we went on various outings. She did well. Until she
turned one year old. Suddenly, her well-behaved nature while we absent from the
house changed.
Her favorite
misbehavior involved digging through the trash can. We put it up. Then she
chewed up my wife’s box of Milk Duds. That almost equaled a federal offense.
Finally, she pulled my basket full of pens and highlighters from the table
beside my chair. In doing so, she broke the final straw. Back in the kennel
when we left the house.
Soft heart that I
am, I gave her one final chance after punishing her. We left for a short trip
to Mom’s. When we returned, she had pulled trash from our large garbage can.
She had exhausted her chances. She had to learn to behave whether we were
looking or not.
Jonah must have
thought as our dog did. When God told him to preach to people he hated, he ran,
thinking God wouldn’t see his act of disobedience once he left the land of
Israel. He discovered his error when God sent a large fish to swallow him.
Our dog waits
until we’re not looking to misbehave, but God is always looking. Jonah
discovered leaving his homeland didn’t leave God. God is everywhere. Though the
Bible doesn’t use the word, it does evidence the concept of omnipresence.
Although God
always sees our behavior, He’s not sitting in heaven waiting for us to
misbehave so He can squash us. He has principles, commands, and expectations,
but His nature is love. He disciplines when we go astray, but that is exactly
why He disciplines. His love demands He keep us on the right track so we can
enjoy the best life He has to offer.
Remember, God
watches over you constantly—because He loves you.
Prayer: Father,
thank You for monitoring our behavior and for correcting us when it doesn’t
follow Your guidelines.
