“A fast was proclaimed, and all of them, from the greatest to the least, put on sackcloth.”- Jonah 3:5
As Kyle Idleman concludes Chapter 8 of AHA, he states that when Jonah confronted the people of Nineveh with nothing but the truth, they responded with brutal honesty. Everyone in Nineveh, a great Assyrian city of about 120,000 people, fasted and put on sackcloth- even the king. The people of Nineveh did not minimize their sin. Instead, they responded to the truth with confession, repentance, and brokenness.
The Prodigal Son also told himself nothing but the truth about himself. He was honest in assessing the consequences he deserved, counting the cost of his choices. He recognized the full weight of the relational damage he had caused with his father. The Prodigal Son walked away from his older brother, parents, and community.
Pastor Idleman exhorts us to be brutally honest with ourselves as well. We must acknowledge the truth regarding our response to our ministry downsizing or vocation loss:
“Like the Prodigal Son, we’ve robbed honor from our Father. We have scorned his provision and fled from His house. . . . We’ve lived in ways that prove our distrust and belief in Him.”
Yet, the author notes, in the fullness of our sin, “God responded with the fullness of His grace through Jesus Christ.”
Today’s question: Who or what has helped you face the truth about your response to your vocation loss? Please share.
Tomorrow’s blog: the new Short Meditation. “I can just be me”
