Then said the LORD, Thou hast had pity on the gourd, for the which thou hast not laboured, neither madest it grow; which came up in a night, and perished in a night:  And should not I spare Nineveh, that great city, wherein are more then sixscore thousand persons that cannot discern between their right hand and their left hand; and also much cattle? (Jonah 4:10-11)

I will be the first to admit that I have, many times, been the pooper of the party. I walked in with a sour attitude and left others with one due to my ungracious heart. It is so easy to feel like the world is against you and when you believe it, it shows in your outward actions. We get caught up in our own head and create a very negative and false sense of reality. We snap at the any and everything, become ungrateful,  and there is nothing anyone can say or do to get us to change our mind when we are in self-destruct mode. Very much like walking nightmares, it is probably best to stay far away from us in this kind of mood.

We usually regret the things we say and do in this state once we realize the foolish way we have behaved. I have made many mistakes in life due to my own bad attitude. Failed relationships, lost opportunities, and lonely nights are a few of the results of my selfishness. It is the enemy’s favorite game: You against you!

Pity-Wikipedia

Jonah is a great example of the contrast between an angry heart and the kind heart of the Lord. Jonah-EBible.com. Our behavior is the the polar opposite of  the way God is to us. We forget sometimes how much we are loved and how blessed we are to have the lives we do. The love of God is a great deterrent from mistreating ourselves and others when the enemy picks a fight. The reminder of the grace, the second chances, and the eternal peace we receive from God are enough to knock the nasty right out of your thinking. He loves all He has created from the flowers to your worst enemy and we are to respect that when we go about our daily lives. If He can pity us after all we do then surely we can sympathize for others versus judge them or ignore them. If He can forgive us for the things we do then we can forgive ourselves when we make mistakes. If He values the world and all in it then we are to value what He values.

God So Loved The World

The next time you find yourself at the pity party, remember the love God has for you and the power that goes with that love. In Him, you are unstoppable. You are intended to be happy, successful, and free of worry in times of trial. He did not sacrifice what He has for failures, pessimists, or haters. He did it for the humble, the honest and the faithful.With Jesus, we all are free of the struggle with the world, but we are the ones who control the struggle with ourselves. Don’t forget who you are and don’t stop others from being who they were born to be either. This life is God’s party. Don’t be the pooper.

Related articles

• The Angry Christian (pt2 – #6 of 6) (j2theblack.wordpress.com)
• Luke 11. Jesus’s Teaching On Prayer. The Model Prayer. Our Lord’s Prayer (bummyla.wordpress.com)
• Party Pooper (scrappysam.com)
• What if Ninevah had not listened to Jonah? (loopyloo305.com)
• Commentary on The Book of Jonah Chapter1:13-14 (studyoftheword.com)
• 2 Chances To Get It Right (mytotallyother.wordpress.com)