Mad? Take A Nap.

Sunday School Chronicles

Me: So Jonah is a prophet. A prophet is basically a messenger. God gives the prophet a specific message for a specific people at a specific time. Got it?

Me: Good! So God tells Jonah to go to Nineveh and tell them, “Y’all got 40 days to get right or get gone cause I’m destroying Nineveh.”

Kids: What! What happened? What did they do?

Me: I’m so glad you asked! The Ninevites were sinning for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Their thoughts were sinful, their actions were sinful, and they didn’t care. When you continue to do the opposite of what your parents say, how long does it take for them to correct you?

Kids: The same day. Immediately! As soon as they get home.

Me: Exactly. God gave them a lot of time! Plus He didn’t have to give them 40 extra days. That was a courtesy. Would your parents give you 40 days to get right?

Kids: No. No way!

Me: Exactly! Because God is gracious! But Jonah wasn’t feeling that. Instead of going to Nineveh, my dude paid for a boat ticket going in the opposite direction. How do you think God felt about that?

Kid 1: He was not happy!

Me: Ya think! While Jonah is on the boat, a huge storm comes. Everybody is freaking out. They start throwing things overboard to lighten the ship. They’re praying to every false god they can think of. And where’s Jonah? Napping like it’s nothing.

Kids: Are you serious? What? Rude!

Me: Yeah! He’s napping like a toddler! So they wake him up and say, “Dude! Pray to your God!” And he was like, “Throw me overboard.”

Kids: What!?!??!?

Me: Yes! Instead of praying, he said toss me out! That escalated quickly! Do you think they did it?

Kids: Yes! No!

Me: I’ll tell you…next week!

Kids: No!!!!

Me: I know! But it’s a long story and we need to take our time. Jonah is my favorite character and my favorite book. Why? Because we’re just like Jonah.

Reflect: When God tells us to do something, it’s easy to want to do the opposite. Wanting to do the opposite comes naturally, obedience takes work. Ask God to help you do the right thing first. Ask for help to fight the temptation to say no and do your own thing.