JONAH’S KIND OF REPUTATION, OUR STUMBLING BLOCK (HOW DOES IT BLOCK US)

I believe you are familiar with the saying “A Square Peg In a Round Hole” or “A Round Peg in a Square Hole”? That is the kind of situation we will have when we find ourselves doing things just because of what people will say about us. I am not in any way suggesting that we should go around disrespecting the authorities or disregarding laid down rules, but all I am saying is that one should do what God has wired him to do irrespective of what society will think about him.  

We should also be bold enough to challenge the Status Quo. What matters in life is what God says about us, I remember what the scriptures says in Luke 2:40(GNB) “The child grew and became strong; he was full of wisdom, and God's blessings were upon him.” And Luke_2:52(KJV) “And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favour with God and man.” 

From this scripture, Jesus Christ found favour before God first, in other words he gave what God has called him to do a priority. Once we do that we will eventually find favour with men although it might take some time as the bible says in John 8: 29B (KJV) “………………………………………….. For I do always those things that please him.” God is bound to release his blessings on us once we are doing what he has called us to do.

I remember some years back, I had a very insightful and helpful conversation with a very good friend of mine; he was my senior in High school and we attended the same university. He told me about how he wanted to study visual Art in high school, but his dad refused his proposition, and rather made him study science. He obeyed his dad because as a child, the bible commands us to obey our parents. 

As a science student he ended up enrolling in the university to study BSC Pharmacy; it was in the university that I saw his gift and finesse for Art. He was now mature and had some relative freedom on a campus that was so many miles away from the capital city where his parents lived. Again, being in the same hall of residence with him in the university, gave me the opportunity to see his sheer talent in the art, as he used his leisure time for it, especially cartoon illustration to the admiration of the fine Art community in the university campus. 

He used his cartoon illustration to address a lot of issues and problems in the university, with clarity his cartoon illustrations mainly hovered around issues of the Christians faith, but he sometimes highlighted on other issues bothering on academic, morality, honesty, integrity among others. Some years down the road we all graduated and I meet him working as a pharmacist in one of the leading pharmacies in the capital city. 

It was at this rendezvous that he told me about his strong and growing desire to go into cartoon and illustration as his main career; he elaborated his desire to build one of the biggest and finest animation studios in Africa, so that he can use his talent to address the many problems confronting the African continent. Inquisitorially, I asked him about what he was going to do with what he studied in pharmacy at the university and he jokingly said “I will go give my BSC Pharmacy Degree to my dad and I will go do what I am wired to do” and we both laughed over it. 

Interestingly enough he has gone ahead to establish his animation studio and although he has not abandoned his pharmacy profession. His animation studio is making an impact on the wider society of his home nation and Africa. He has done a lot of work for many corporate institutions and international organization, but he is mainly concentrating on issues that bothers on faith, culture, poverty, under development, education among other issues confronting Africans.

My friend’s situation is one out of a hundred situation of people who are doing things that they aren’t wired to do; there are people who have become preachers, but in reality have no business becoming preachers; I know of people who have a high paying job with good pegs, yet are saddened every Monday morning when they have to get up and go to work, because they do not have any sense of fulfillment in what they are doing. 

There are many people who are good at heart in the society, yet are always silent and allow the very few minority who are evil and corrupt at heart to wreck a lot of havoc in the society and the country at large, simple because they are afraid of what people will say about them. Sadly enough for me as preacher, I see a lot of my good colleagues preachers, preaching and teaching things that they ought not to preach and teach because of what people will say and the fact that they want to prove a point to people and sadly not to God – Luke_6:26(KJV) “Woe unto you, when all men shall speak well of you! for so did their fathers to the false prophets.” My prayer is that, we will all be delivered from the fear of men. I would now itemize how what I have termed “JONAH’S KIND OF REPUTATION” is hindering us:

1.     It Brings God’s Opposition –  As I have mentioned earlier on, there are many of us who know exactly what God has called us to do, yet because of what people will say or because we want to keep up with the Jones’s, we have chosen to go our own way. Our estimation of ourselves and what we have resolved to do makes sense than what God is impressing on our hearts. 

     But the good book says that “There is a way that seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death.” Proverb 16:25(KJV), this scripture is a reminder to all of us to reflect on the paths we have chosen in the light of God’s bigger picture and His will for our lives; we should not bring ourselves to the point when everything begins to fall apart before we respond to what God has called us to do. 

     Our lot should not be like that of Jonah in Jonah 1:3-9(KJV) “But Jonah rose up to flee unto Tarshish from the presence of the LORD, and went down to Joppa; and he found a ship going to Tarshish: so he paid the fare thereof, and went down into it, to go with them unto Tarshish from the presence of the LORD. But the LORD sent out a great wind into the sea, and there was a mighty tempest in the sea, so that the ship was like to be broken. Then the mariners were afraid, and cried every man unto his god, and cast forth the wares that were in the ship into the sea, to lighten it of them. 

      But Jonah was gone down into the sides of the ship; and he lay, and was fast asleep. So the shipmaster came to him, and said unto him, What meanest thou, O sleeper? arise, call upon thy God, if so be that God will think upon us, that we perish not. And they said everyone to his fellow, Come, and let us cast lots, that we may know for whose cause this evil is upon us. So they cast lots, and the lot fell upon Jonah. Then said they unto him, Tell us, we pray thee, for whose cause this evil is upon us; What is thine occupation? and whence comest thou? what is thy country? and of what people art thou? And he said unto them, I am an Hebrew; and I fear the LORD, the God of heaven, which hath made the sea and the dry land.” 

      The thing about disobeying the call of God in your life is that the troubles that comes with it does not only affect you but affect people within your relational space especially you nuclear family. So anytime you are tempted to disobey God please know that your loved ones will also be impacted negatively.

2.       It Makes You Walk In Someone’s Shadow – One of the greatest kits that can drain ones energy is trying to walk in someone else shadow. There are many people who are creating a lot of chaos in their chosen profession because of the lack of drive or fulfillment for what they are doing. Have you ever gone to the hospital and met a doctor or nurse who is enthusiastically carrying his or her duty in a very efficient and admirable manner? 

      That is definitely a clue to someone who is not walking in someone’s shadow; they love what they do, they drive maximum satisfaction in seeing the sick and the injured getting well. God told Jeremiah "I chose you before I gave you life, and before you were born I selected you to be a prophet to the nations." Jeremiah 1:5(GNB). Jeremiah was destined to be the prophet to the nations from birth, but there are a lot who are not called or have no business being prophets, but have mounted the pulpit as prophets and as a result created chaos. 

     Some are called to be Pastors but because they have seen that being a prophet is what brings the crowd and attention, they have elected themselves to be prophet. It does not matter the popularity of what you are called to do in the eyes of men, what matters is that you should do what you are born to do, the bible says that - Rom 12:6 – 8 (KJV “ Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, whether prophecy, let us prophesy according to the proportion of faith; Or ministry, let us wait on our ministering: or he that teacheth, on teaching; Or he that exhorteth, on exhortation: he that giveth, let him do it with simplicity; he that ruleth, with diligence; he that sheweth mercy, with cheerfulness.”

Some of the troubles we have brought on ourselves is because we have chosen to forsake God and gone our own way. I pray that God grants you and I the inner fortitude to stay steadfast to what he has called us to do, even if it is not popular. God bless you for following us and reading this article. If you have any questions or comments you can leave it below, or you can also send me an email via- wisafawubo@gmail.com or send me a WhatsApp message on +233233868205