Worth the Inconvenience

Not too long ago, we took a road trip. With several hours of drive time ahead of us, we decided to listen to a sermon series on the book of Jonah.

You may know the story, but I’ll give you a quick summary just for fun.

God called Jonah to go to the city of Nineveh to preach to its people. Their wickedness was great, and judgment against them was imminent. Nineveh was the capital city of Assyria, one of Israel’s bitter enemies. Nineveh was also known for its cruelty to conquered nations. Naturally, Jonah had a healthy fear of heading there. But God is bigger than our fears, and He goes before us.

When Jonah heard the word of the Lord telling him to warn Nineveh of what was coming its way, he opted to hop on a ship headed in the completely opposite direction. Jonah was not only a reluctant missionary – he was a rebellious one as well.

But God sees and knows everything. He sent a violent storm that terrified the crew of the ship and everyone on board – except the sleeping Jonah. They awakened him and questioned him, determining that Jonah’s disobedience to God was the cause of their plight. He told the men to throw him overboard. Initially they refused, but the storm intensified. They cried out to God and threw Jonah into the water. The sea grew calm.

Jonah was swallowed by a great fish where he spent three days and three nights – plenty of time for reflection, repentance, and prayer. He was then expelled from the fish’s belly onto dry land. And he knew where he was headed – Nineveh or bust.

Under God’s protection, Jonah – a despised Jew – entered Nineveh and boldly proclaimed that in forty days, God would overturn the city.

And the people of Nineveh – from the king on the throne to the lowliest servant – mourned their great sin and repented. There was a call to prayer to appeal to God’s compassion.

God heard, and God relented. Jonah pouted.

Actually, he did worse than pout. He became angry with God for showing grace and mercy to the souls of the people of Nineveh. God used a reluctant missionary to save a city.

Little did I know that very soon after listening to that sermon series, I would have far too much in common with Jonah.

A friend of mine who doesn’t follow Jesus asked me for a favor. The day she asked me for the favor, I was pretty committed to my own schedule of not doing much of anything.

This was a friend for whom I had been praying for quite a while. I had asked God repeatedly to give me the opportunity to share Jesus’ offer of salvation with her, but that had yet to happen. I was giving up hope of it ever happening.

But this day, I begrudgingly went to her house to help her. When I arrived, she didn’t really seem to need my help at all, which only frustrated me even more. As I fidgeted and made small talk, she suddenly asked me a question and wanted to know what the Bible had to say about the topic she brought up. Surprised but willing, I answered her question. Then another and another...

After several minutes of conversation, I finally said, “This is what the Bible has to say in answer to your questions, but God will only fully work in your life if you invite Him to be in control of it. May I tell you how that can happen?” Then I shared the gospel with my friend. She was attentive and thoughtful. I asked her to consider what I’d told her and to reach out if she had any questions. We chatted a bit longer, and then I went home.

A “walk of shame” has many connotations, but as I walked back to my house that day, it felt like exactly that. God had invited me into His work of planting the gospel in a heart that was willing to listen. Rather than be excited and eager at the privilege, I had felt irritated and inconvenienced. But God still got His message of grace out through this reluctant missionary - regardless of my unwilling heart. For that I could be grateful.

I had a long, repentant prayer time with the Lord that afternoon. I was reminded of an Ann Voskamp quote: “You love as well as you are willing to be inconvenienced.” I was sorrowful for putting “my” schedule and comfort before His call to share His message with someone I “claimed” to love. I asked God to change me; to make my love more authentic by having a willingness to drop everything for the good of others and for the sake of the gospel; and to let me never again be a reluctant missionary.

May we, the people of God, never be reluctant missionaries. May we put aside our own preferences, priorities, and pleasures to further the kingdom. Our lost friends and family are certainly worth the inconvenience.