Word for the day: “Leaders must learn to lead themselves.”
Jonah 1: 4 (NKJV) But the Lord [a]sent out a great wind on the sea, and there was a mighty tempest on the sea so that the ship was about to be broken up. 5 Then the mariners were afraid; and every man cried out to his god, and threw the cargo that was in the ship into the sea, to lighten [b]the load. But Jonah had gone down into the lowest parts of the ship, had lain down, and was fast asleep. 6 So the captain came to him, and said to him, “What do you mean, sleeper? Arise, call on your God; perhaps your God will consider us, so that we may not perish.” 7 And they said to one another, “Come, let us cast lots, that we may know for whose cause this trouble has come upon us.” So, they cast lots, and the lot fell on Jonah.
LEARNING TO LEAD YOURSELF IS VITAL IN YOUR LIFE’S JOURNEY.
One day, while reading my leadership emails, I read Pastor Andy Stanley sharing about self-leadership; he stated, “Always remember I have participated in every bad decision that I have ever made.” This resonated with me and reminded me of the importance of first leading myself, and then I had the possibility to influence others.
Today, we read that Jonah, like many of us, made a huge mistake. His mistake came in his decision to deliberately disobey God. Because of Jonah’s decision, the next part of his story took a visceral turn. “Then the Lord sent a great wind on the sea, and such a violent storm arose that the ship threatened to break up” (Jonah 1:4).
This storm was so fierce that the fishermen on the boat noticed something was wrong. They were trying to discover who was responsible for this calamity (v. 7). They knew this wasn’t a storm they were accustomed to. Someone’s misdeeds caused this particular storm.
Someone was to blame for this kind of storm. Jonah, in his selfishness, had caused this type of rain, wind, and waves to come. I think most of us have been in a similar situation in our lives. It’s one thing to experience a trying season of life, like a health issue or a death in your family. It’s quite another thing when your storm or trial is due to your life’s decision.
STORMS OFTEN REMIND US OF OUR ULTIMATE NEED FOR GOD.
Sometimes, we make the wrong decisions on the way to our dreams or the things we do when we try to accomplish something our way. In fact, being selfish can even threaten the destiny of those around us. And sometimes, it’s by God’s grace that there even is a storm to warn us. I’ve discovered that many times, the storms we face are not to hurt us but to help us. Storms often help us to see all we have available to us, and often, that is God in our lives. Yes, I believe the Lord is ready to intercede in our worst moments so that he can get our undivided attention. God uses storms and many other challenges to lead us to his great plan for each of our lives.
No matter what wrong decisions you’ve made or detours you’ve taken on your journey with God, it’s never too late to lift up your voice to the Lord. Jonah realized in the belly of the fish that he had messed up; he had done the exact opposite of God’s will.
You might be realizing, “I messed up my marriage,” “I hurt my family,” “I started being selfish again,” “I went too far,” “I was not honest about something,” or “I did something I said I would never do again.” Jonah’s story is evidence that these types of bad decisions will not disqualify you from God’s purpose for your entire life.
POINT TO PONDER
“Sometimes we win and sometimes we learn” can be your new philosophy and are words I learned from my John Maxwell leadership team. Whatever it is, you made a bad choice about, go and get it right while it’s still time. I’m praying and hope you are having a transformative Lent season.
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Kingdom Blessings,