Spiritual growth is an interesting thing. It happens in fits and starts and often comes in painful ways. This was undoubtedly true for Jonah. So it is fair to ask if Jonah learned anything from his Nineveh odyssey. We can say unequivocally that he did, even though it is not stated. 

How do we know? Very simply, Jonah himself wrote the account. He is the only one who would have known all the details, and he wrote a very honest, candid, and transparent account of what happened, how God rescued him and gave him a second chance, the amazing response of the Ninevites as well as his racist and harsh attitude toward them. Oh, and then his bitterness toward God, selfishness, and sense of entitlement. It's all there. And it is only there because he learned something which he wanted others to also learn. 

All of us screw up. We all have multitudes of areas in our lives where our profession of Jesus does not match our praxis of the "Jesus life." We are broken images of God that He is re-imaging back into His likeness, and it can be a messy process. But the fantastic thing is that if we love God, there is always progress. Sometimes easy, mostly hard, and sometimes painful as we discard from our lives the selfish and sinful ways we gravitate toward and create new pathways of followership and obedience. 

Look back over the past six months of your life and ask yourself where you have seen progress in your spiritual life. The last year or the previous five years. Think about the circumstances that created the most growth as you yielded to God in difficult times. How has your own brokenness brought new and fresh change? 

I keep a journal. I don't always use it daily, but it is almost always with me and used regularly. Why? Because I want to remember what God is teaching me. I want to learn from my mistakes, challenges, and areas where I know He wants me to grow. It is really, in the end, a journal of growth. Sometimes messy like the story of Jonah, but one way or another, God breaks through our defenses and helps us see new paradigms of Himself and obedience.

One of the things I love about Jonah is that he didn't whitewash his actions or attitudes. What you see is what you get. He is honest about his feelings, and he is honest to God. There is no fancy evangelical church-type language in his discussions with God. He is raw, and he is candid. And in recording the whole thing, including the stunning rebuke of God to his racist and sinful attitudes, he is telling us that he heard and learned. No one would write what he wrote unless he wanted to record his own growth because there is nothing redeeming in his attitude. And evidently, Jonah had his own journal.

Here is something to remember about spiritual growth. Often it comes the hard way because that is when God has our attention. And often, God orchestrates circumstances in our lives to catch our attention. For example, when God gave Jonah a leafy plant to give him shade in chapter four, he got Jonah's attention. Then, when God allowed a worm to kill that plant, He got Jonah's attention again. In the end, God did not want Jonah to be comfortable but to catch his attention, and he did. God did this out of love for Jonah and so he would understand His heart for these people - and even their animals.

This is why I keep a journal. It is to reflect on life, God, and my spiritual journey and be aware of what God is trying to teach me at any given moment. Spiritual growth starts with a desire to grow and then an awareness of what God is doing in our lives. The more aware we are of Him and our need for renovation and growth, the better we are equipped to respond to His promptings and align our lives with His. 

Father, thank you for your tender love in my life, encouraging me to follow you better and know you more intimately. Help me to be sensitive to your leadership so that I develop your heart. Amen