Fathoms Below

Sunday School Chronicles

Me: So, last week, we talked about Jonah being so pressed, that he went the literal opposite direction of where God told him to go. There’s a huge storm rocking the boat and Jonah convinces the crew to throw him overboard.

Kid 1: That’s crazy.

Me: I know right! Well, Jonah gets his wish and is thrown into the sea. This wasn’t like The Little Mermaid or Finding Nemo. There was no singing crab, no sea witch trying to steal his voice, there wasn’t a fish with short term memory loss who just kept swimming.

Class: *laughs*

Me: My dude went overboard and straight into the mouth of a big ol fish.

Kid 2: I heard it was a whale.

Me: I can totally see why you heard that. The Bible doesn’t specifically say what swallowed Jonah. We’re just told it was a big fish. Either way, I just know it smelled.

Kids: Eww.

Me: Eww is right! So Jonah is stuck in a big fish’s belly for not one, not two, but three days and three nights. Three seconds would’ve been enough for me. Could you be in a big fish’s belly that long?

Kids: Ugh! No! Eww. No way.

Me: Exactly! But God needed to have some alone time with Jonah. Jonah needed to collect himself and realize that he didn’t have to like the Ninevites to be obedient. He didn’t have to understand to be in agreement. After Jonah spent those days and nights getting his mind right, God command the fish to spit Jonah on dry land. And where did he land? Right back where he started. Say it with me?

Everyone: Nineveh!

Reflect: God doesn’t need our agreement, opinions, and approval. He desires our obedience. All three things are important to Him but should never get in the way of trusting that He knows best. Sometimes the best things for us are what we like the least, like vegetables, going to school, and chores. Pray and ask God to help you do what He asks and trust that you will understand the why when it’s necessary.