“Now the word of the Lord came unto Jonah . . . saying, Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and cry against it; for their wickedness is come up before me” (Jonah 1:1–2).
Tony lived in the neighborhood where I grew up. The thing is, Tony was hard to like. It’s not that he was always mean; it’s just that most of the time he bullied everyone else. He always had to be quarterback when we played football. He said mean things to everyone and didn’t care who he hurt. He demanded his way about everything. Did I mention he was hard to like?
That’s how Jonah felt about the people of Nineveh when God told him to take a message to them. Jonah knew something was up when God called Nineveh a “great city.” He knew God cared about the people there and would show mercy to them, so Jonah made other plans.
He headed in the opposite direction, boarded a ship, ran into a storm, and was thrown overboard. But God’s love was more powerful than Jonah’s disobedience. God cared so much about the people of Nineveh that He prepared a great fish to keep Jonah from drowning and to carry him back to land. Jonah shared God’s message with the people of Nineveh. They were sorry for their sin, and God forgave them.
Some people are hard to like, but I have to remember that God loves them too. Jesus tells me to “love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you” (Matthew 5:44). Do I love those that are hard to love?
God loves those who are hard to love.
My response:
» How often do I think about the truth that God loves me even though I am hard to love?
» How can I share God’s message of love with someone who is hard to like?