What is your Tarshish?

When reading the story of Jonah, I always remember a sermon I heard once about the geography of the story. It is interesting how the geography of a story can change the meaning.

You see Jonah was not just going to the next county over. Not going to another city that was a little ways away. Tarshish was at, in Bible times, at the other side of the world as they knew. Jonah was going as far away as he could to get away from this call of God to go to Ninevah and call them out on the way they were living.

Where is your Tarshish?

A couple weeks ago I had the privilege to go to a conference at Parkview Christian church. There I got to hear a great speaker. I learned a lot and I took away from it something that I knew I needed to work on. But, one thing that I will remember is that, this speaker, told a story about how he was ready to quit. He was ready to give it all up. How many people have been there? I have, shortly before now I was. Anyway, he told us that in college he used to work at a golf course cutting greens. He loved it, and so he decided in his head that he was going to quit ministry and go work on a golf course and cut greens the rest of his life. Not a bad idea, in my head that is. He told us that he was actually playing golf with a friend/mentor, he told his friend this idea of quitting and cutting greens. He asked his friend/mentor if he ever wanted to quit and cut greens? His friend answered bluntly no. It was because his friend said, it wouldnt be cutting greens, it would be working at dairy queen, serving ice cream and bringing smiles to people’s faces.

What is your tarshish?

If you quit your profession tomorrow, what would you do? Would you travel? Would you have another thing you wanted to do?

Is it beneficial for us as Christians to have a back up plan? Where would you run too if God called you to do something YOU didn’t want to do?

You know one thing that I find fascinating about the story of Jonah, is the ending chapter. Jonah is pissed, he is angry at God because Jonah knew that God was a merciful and loving God. So he knew that even though the city of Ninevah was evil and sinful, that God would probably show mercy on them. So Jonah was mad at God for making him go to Ninevah after Jonah had plans to go to Tarshish. Apparently Tarshish was a vacation spot, people were going there to get away and vacation. So if God called you from going to St Thomas in the Virgin Islands, and said go to Las Vegas and preach against what they are doing, would you do it? Jonah knew that God would show mercy on the city and so he knew there was no real point of him going.

The funny thing is, God got his way anyway. God got Jonah to Ninevah and God did save the city and show mercy on them.

The funny part is that God has to prove a point to Jonah by pissing Jonah off even more. “Should i not show pity on that city?” That is God’s plea to Jonah when Jonah was mad at God.

Here is the point, God is a merciful God. God has a purpose for all of us, God has called us all to a certain mission. Whether we may like or not, all we have to do is know that God is a merciful God, and a loving God and that He will prove his might through whatever it is He has called us too.

The real question though, is when God does call you to go somewhere: Will you Run to Tarshish? Or will you follow God relentlessly, selflessly, and willing to do anything for God?