How Much...

Years ago, I made the mistake of parking outside an exclusive department store when making a trip to the mall.  As I walked through the store on my way to my intended target, I was drawn to the make up counter by a polished saleswoman offering a free makeover.  Knowing better, I sat down, amazed at how the make-up she applied took ten years off of my skin.  The mirror revealed a clock turned back to a much younger me.  I took one of everything she was selling.  Pleased at the success of her sales technique, she rang up the sale and announced, “That will be three hundred sixty-seven dollars and seventy-four cents.”  Suddenly, instead of my youthful looking face in the mirror, I saw my husband’s face looking back at me, as I tried to explain a three hundred dollar plus charge on our account. 

I felt sick to my stomach as I faced what I knew I had to do:  Return almost all of it.  I apologized to the sales clerk, weakly explaining that I had gotten carried away and needed to return almost all that I had just purchased.  Looking at me quizzically, she asked, “Well, what would you like to keep?”  Imagine her dismay when I said, “The $10 bar of soap,” still feeling a little guilty even for that bit of luxury.  

On the way home that day, I was reminded of the prophet Jonah, whom God called to preach repentance to the city of Nineveh in the Old Testament.  Jonah believed that because of the evil of the people of Nineveh, they deserved the punishment of God rather than the mercy of God.  He heard the word of the Lord delivered directly to him to go there, but he chose to disobey God’s will for his life.  Jonah 1:1,3 recount that “the word of the Lord came to Jonah, but Jonah…”  How often does God reveal His will for us through His word, but we do not want to obey!  Love our enemy, love our neighbor, forgive one another.  However, like Jonah, we turn in the opposite direction.  I can only imagine that Jonah had every excuse not to obey God’s will:  They don’t deserve mercy; it’s not my fault; they won’t listen anyway; maybe I will do it tomorrow. 

As he fled to Tarsus, the Bible says that Jonah went down to Joppa, down into a ship, and down into the belly of the ship.  Refusal to obey God always results in a downward spiral.  Jonah thought that he had gone as far down as he could go.  However, he found out that he could go even deeper into the result of his sin.  God had prepared a great fish for Jonah.  When a tempest threatened to sink the ship, the crew realized that Jonah had offended God and threw Jonah into the sea where he was swallowed by the great fish.  For three days and three nights, Jonah was in the belly of the fish; only “then did Jonah pray to the Lord,” deciding that Nineveh was actually looking pretty good as a site for a potential revival. 

By the way, how smart is that?  It took Jonah three days and nights to decide he should pray.  Yet, we swim around in the dirty waters of our disobedience for years, sometimes, before we are willing to claim I John 1:9, confessing our sin to our Heavenly Father.The phrase, though, in this story which gripped my heart is found in Jonah 1:3:  …Jonah found a ship going to Tarsus; but he paid the price…You can choose to obey the will of God or you can choose to disobey His will for your life.  However, you had better be willing to pay the price for your disobedience.  The department store into which I thoughtlessly wandered offered few discounted prices.  God may choose to be merciful in our disobedience because, as Jonah learned, He is long suffering and slow to anger.  However, you may have to pay full price. 

What price is too high for you to pay?  There was no way I was willing to pay $300+ for make up in my errant trip into a high-priced store.  As a result of that experience, I never park outside of that department store, knowing that in walking to the center of the mall through the store, I might actually see something I want, but I am not willing to pay the price to have it.  How much are you willing to pay in order to do things your way rather than God’s?  If you are not willing to pay the highest possible price, you really should not shop there.

© 2010 Gerry Sisk

(2/21/10)