The story of Jonah is one about repentance.  It's about a man who refused to fulfill the call of God on his life.  A few days in the gut of a whale made him change his mind real quick.  It would me! Repentance is all about doing a complete 180º.

I'd like to back up a few lines, before he got swallowed up.  You'd think if Jonah knew he was about to be dinner he'd a changed his mind about going overboard?  Not sure about that... just a thought.

What's interesting about this point in the story is that Jonah "asked" to be thrown overboard.  Why didn't he just jump?

To refresh your memory a bit, Jonah was on this ship trying to get as far away from what God was telling him to do as he could.  Because of his "stubbornness" a great storm was brought his way.  He did, by the way, pay for the trip on this choppy cruise.  Jonah's problems brought this storm onto people he didn't even know!  When the ship's crew realized he was the reason this storm was upon them, they kindly asked him to do something about it.

So, he opted to be thrown overboard.  In his mind, that would fix the problem.  So I'll ask again... why didn't Jonah just jump? Why did he think it was necessary to be thrown overboard?

Sadly, Jonah wasn't finished with his cowardly acts for the day.  I believe, first of all, he knew if he could be thrown out to sea, it would mean death for sure.  That would be a definite way out of God ever buggin' him again about doing anything again.  Secondly, if someone else threw him overboard, then it wouldn't be his fault.  After all, he could say, they threw me over God, I didn't jump!

Eventually in the story, Jonah came to his senses.  He finally began to fulfill the calling that God had on his life.

There's a great lesson to be learned from Jonah.  Number one, why do we work so hard to avoid what God has called us to do?  Really, it's harder not do it, than it is to do it.  Then there's that storm.  If Jonah would have just listened, he never would have been in that position.  It's just like us really.  Sometimes we've got to be honest with ourselves, and realize we bring a lot of our own troubles on ourselves.  And finally, the whole jumping or being thrown overboard part.  That's all about taking responsibility in your life.  Don't expect someone else to fix your problems for you.  You made this mess, so you need to own up to it, and fix it... not by bailing out, but by doing what you know is right, and being obedient when God tells you to do something.

The moral of this story?  Stop running from God's call on your life.  Recognize that what you do has a direct effect on everyone around you.  And finally, take responsibility in your life.

It's tiring running from God.  It's tiring running to Him.

Either way, ask yourself... which has a better reward?

Just recently, I spent time with my church team who worked with relief and aid organizations in Henryville, Indiana. The town recently experienced a devastating blast from a tornado.

Unless you've seen such devastation, your mind cannot adequately prepare you for the experience.  You try to make sense of where a home once stood, when all you see is a foundation.  Mixed in with piles of shattered wood, glass, and insulation you find an odd blend of family portraits, clothing, Christmas decoration, and toys.  The recipe was never the same at each location, though eerily similar.

By this point a full week had passed.  People have not had adequate time to process what has happened, but I was struck by the upbeat nature of those within this community.

When you're stripped down to nothing, all you really have left is the people around you.  That was most definitely the display.  More became of just acquaintances, neighbors, and friends.   Suddenly a common experience brought these people together.  Now, they were family.

In Matthew 12:46-50, a group of unrelated individuals stood, sat, leaned, and listened as Christ poured into them.  Jesus has just challenged the establishment, gave an amazing display of his miraculous power, and then warned of the consequence of speaking against the power that enabled him to do such works!

It probably wasn't the gentle-sweet-loving-Jesus moment some might had imagined.  His speech that day was somewhat radical; but radical events were about to take place.  It was a preparation.   It was an induction.   It was consecration.

Jesus was interrupted in that moment.  His mom and brothers were outside waiting on him.  The messenger demanded he come outside.  I can almost sense a pause in this moment.  Jesus looking at the messenger.  The messenger looking back.

Jesus responded with a new definition of what it means to be family.  His mother stood just outside the door.  His own flesh and blood.  The one who gave birth to him.  And yet he says to this man, "Who is my mother, who are my brothers?  You see these people here.  This is my mother. These are my brothers."

Christ came on a mission.  While biological connections are important to us as earthly beings, he was stressing the importance of something even greater.  Eternity.

Our human minds have a difficult time grasping that.

Yes, we often have an obligation to our earthly family.  More importantly our focus should be on eternity, and increasing our family in that capacity.  This life is but a moment, a mist as scripture says in the book of James.  Our commonality as Christians is what make up this beautiful mix of acquaintances, neighbors, and friends, then turns them quite simply into family.

It was a turn of terrible events that brought a community together and created a family last week in that small Indiana town.  It was a small family of Christian strangers who came to their aid.  Christ came to unify that which was not meant to be together.  Our existence on this earth is not in part to separate ourselves from this world, but rather to go out into this world, and with truth, make them a part of our family.

As family, we are eternally linked.