“What was I thinking?” It’s a question which comes to mind when we are faced with results of a poor decision. “What were you thinking?” It’s a question we can often ask when someone you love is paying the price for making a hasty choice. Perhaps more accurately the question should be, “Were you even thinking?” Distractions of all sorts can easily make it difficult to think responsibly and clearly. At other times our thinking can be a distortion of reality or a lack of information. We all tend to defend our present beliefs rather than to investigate truth from any other viewpoint. Our emotions might have over-ridden our convictions. The possibility of immediate satisfaction might have clouded our long-range goals. For some people, impulsiveness brings a heightened sense of being independent or in control of one’s own destiny. It is also how each of us have learned very important life lessons – ones that hopefully will not be repeated again.
What do you think Jonah was thinking when he boarded a ship headed in the opposite direction of Ninevah where God had asked him to go and preach? What was he thinking when he landed on dry land after being in the great fish for 3 days and nights? What was he thinking when he expressed his anger at the Lord’s compassion? Jonah had rebelled and God protected him. He obeyed and God used him in spite of his bad attitude. Finally, as he showed his “true colors”, God asked him some very penetrating questions. Do you suppose Jonah heard Him or not?
The hymn writer captured a very important desire found in Philippians 2: 5. “May the mind of Christ, my Savior, live in me from day to day. By His love and power controlling all I do or say.”
