Swallowed Whole

Chris in the standing frame at the 34 Project

 Ever have the kind of day when everything seems to be running along nicely, and then something happens? It doesn't even have to be anything big, but it takes you into the depths of darkness with no warning at all. In those moments, it can feel like life swallowed you whole. It's like instant despair, whether you identify the trigger or not!

As this happened to me yesterday - totally out of the blue, btw - I thought. Man, that happened fast and outta nowhere! I just kept trying to sort through those crazy emotions. As I thought about the helpless feelings of being swallowed whole by life, my mind went to Jonah. He is one of my favorite characters. He was swallowed whole by a fish or whale that God had prepared just for the filthy backslider. LOL.

I thought about how dark it must have been in the belly of the whale. How alone he must have felt. How hopelessness and helplessness must have surrounded his soul as he literally faced the possibility and probability of death. When life takes a big bite out of our emotional security, I think we feel pretty much the same way, even if we realize it's just temporary. We just get sucked into the darkness.

Then, I thought about how Jonah ended up there because he did something wrong. He deliberately disobeyed what God told him to do. But we haven't done that. We are sucking it up and walking through the difficulties life has thrown at us. Unsolicited. Not based on a choice. We didn't disobey to get here - actually, we obeyed Jesus' commission. He said in Matthew 25, when you've done it to the least of these, you've done it unto me. He was speaking of caring for other people. Those in prison, sick, in need. Aren't we doing that every single day?

It doesn't seem fair that life can swallow us whole like that. But it happens. And we turn it back over to God again and again. We dust ourselves off, wipe off the whale vomit, and run toward God again. 

Today, I'll remind myself that when life swallows me whole, God's still waiting at the end of my run! He will pick me up, dust me off, and comfort my soul every single time. He never condemns me. Never reprimands me. Just loves me - just like I am. I love that He is always waiting for me. If He'll meet Jonah in the belly of the whale, I know He'll meet me in the belly of this world. That's why I can trust Him for one more day!



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cover of my Book of James study guide


Book of James Study Guide • Are you up for a spiritual challenge? • Can you answer James’ hard questions honestly? • Do you want to tackle this spiritual obstacle course? The Book of James study guide is great for individual or group study.   https://amzn.to/4dk0A4A



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