A Leafy Plant 

I love the end of Jonah, especially the NIV version. I want to look at Jonah chapter 4, starting in verse 5.

5 Jonah had gone out and sat down at a place east of the city. There he made himself a shelter, sat in its shade and waited to see what would happen to the city. 6 Then the LORD God provided a leafy plant and made it grow up over Jonah to give shade for his head to ease his discomfort, and Jonah was very happy about the plant. 7 But at dawn the next day God provided a worm, which chewed the plant so that it withered. 8 When the sun rose, God provided a scorching east wind, and the sun blazed on Jonah’s head so that he grew faint. He wanted to die, and said, “It would be better for me to die than to live.” 

9 But God said to Jonah, “Is it right for you to be angry about the plant?” 

“It is,” he said. “And I’m so angry I wish I were dead.” 

Jonah is mad at God, but he goes outside the city to see what God will do. God provides a leafy plant to give Jonah shade. The next day, the leaf is gone. Jonah's response, "it would be better for me to die than to live". God questions him about this crazy statement. But, Jonah verifies that he wishes he was dead. Now, this is the part I love and the lesson I think we all need to hear over and over again. Let's look at the last two verses of the book.

10 But the LORD said, “You have been concerned about this plant, though you did not tend it or make it grow. It sprang up overnight and died overnight. 11 And should I not have concern for the great city of Nineveh, in which there are more than a hundred and twenty thousand people who cannot tell their right hand from their left—and also many animals?” 

I want to focus on verse 10. The conversation about not tending to it or helping make it grow is so huge to me. Right now, I have so many people or things in my life that I say are important to me, I say that I am concerned about them, but I am doing nothing to tend to them. I spent a lot of time talking and writing about the blog and website and then I stopped tending to it. How can I be mad at anyone else that it hasn't grown? My focus over the next few months is to tend to the things that I am saying are important to me. I have some friends and family that need tending. I have a website and a blog that need tending. And, to be honest, I think I need to do some personal tending. I've been ignoring my health for way too long. I don't get to say I care if I am not willing to put in some time and effort.