Saying Yes to the Hard Things of God
Share my life story that includes my mistakes, shames and failures? Forgive those who have wounded me deeply?
Fully commit to a healthy lifestyle rather than sporadic exercising and fad dieting? Seeing goals and projects through to completion?
Take responsibility for my life? Stop trying to force relationships, fix other people’s issues, be who I wasn’t?
My Ninevehs – those hard places God was calling me to go and asking me to do.
For too long my reply was always “No!” I am stubborn.
Nineveh wasn’t in Jonah’s plans when God called and he too said “No!”
Perhaps Jonah’s reasons are also ours when God asks us to do the seemingly impossible.
Fear. Every negative emotion known to woman is always rooted in fear.
What will people think or say? What if they don’t like me or I fail?
What if I can’t? What if I forgive and get hurt again?
What if I don’t get the results I want?
What if I get my hopes and expectations up and am disappointed?
Fear of the changes or sacrifices that might be required of us.
Fear of having to assume responsibility for difficult circumstances.
Everything negative in our lives cannot always be someone else’s fault.
Believing it was kept me stuck in victim mentality FOR YEARS resulting in isolation as friends started distancing themselves from my emotionally draining and constantly negative presence.
Eventually they realized I wasn’t seeking to change but preferred pity over advice. In order to protect their own peace they had no choice but to walk away. I don’t blame them.
God doesn’t call us to the difficult to desert us but to grow us.
Saying “No” to Nineveh means staying stuck where we are.
Each month identical to the last one. Each relationship ending like the last one. Each diet producing the same results.
Going to Nineveh requires us to toss our excuses and move in the direction of change even if we go scared.
Your Nineveh could be losing weight, leaving an unhappy job, saying goodbye to a toxic friendship, paying off debt or simply getting out of your comfort zone more.
Is it hard?
Absolutely which is why so few of us ever find our way to the other side of Nineveh.
Ninevehs require us to face our fears and make sacrifices and hard choices.
But what if saying yes to Nineveh, your lost weight means more energy and confidence, your dead-end job gets replaced with a fulfilling one, those life-draining friendships get traded for beautiful ones, your zero debt means zero worry and stepping out of your comfort zone invites more fun and adventure?
How tragic to come to the end of our days wondering how life would have looked had we said “Yes” to the seemingly impossible challenges He calls us to instead of cowering to unfounded fears or preferring sympathy and pity to following sound advice.
I’ve learned that avoiding Nineveh can keep us stuck, resentful, unfulfilled and worried.
Jonah’s avoidance of Nineveh resulted in isolation and darkness. (Jonah 2:3-10)
We were never meant to go through hard places in our own strength and thankfully Paul reminds us that we “can do all things through Christ who gives us strength.” (Phil 4:13)
Saying yes to the hard doesn’t guarantee easy.
But we can go confidently knowing when we stumble and cry out to God, He “listened to my cry” (Jonah 2:2) and He will wipe away our tears, calm our fears and encourage us to press on.
Why?
Because He sees the reward waiting on the other side of our Nineveh that we can’t see in the midst of it.
There’s a quote that says “If God calls you to it, He will walk with you through it.”
Please know those hard places will always come with sufficient grace as God tells us “My grace is all you need. My power works best in your weakness.” (2 Cor 12:9 NLT)
Everything you desire is on the other side of your Nineveh.
Are you ready to say yes to the journey? Go scared but go.
Nineveh or Bust!
Sandra Hubbard
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