Whether you believe the Bible is the word of God or not is irrelevant; there is so much you can learn from meditating on the stories. Though I do not read the Bible presently, many of the stories come up in my thoughts as I am processing things that I am going through. The latest story I have been thinking about is Jonah.
Jonah was asked by God to go and preach to the people of Nineveh. Jonah was to go there and tell the people to repent. Jonah wanted nothing to do with the plan. He tried to run away by boat. He ended up being swallowed by a whale. He prayed for guidance and eventually was released from the belly of the whale. He did go and tell the people to repent but secretly hoped they would not repent and all die. As he looked at the city, waiting for their destruction, nothing happened. All the people repented.
So, what does this have to do with me? A whole bunch. If you have been reading some of my more recent blogs, you know I have been going through quite a bit. I know, I am Divine living a human experience. I have not been living that truth. I realize, I have been in the belly of the whale. I have been living in a dark place, not allowing myself to listen to the beautiful voice, which is truth.
Instead, I have been living in the darkness of the ego, wanting those that were hurting me to be punished. I was not willing to put on a new pair of glasses and see the Divine in the others that were hurting me. Just like Jonah, I decided to listen and do what the inner voice was telling me. Just like Jonah, I was secretly hoping that the others involved would still fall.
Guess what? The others seem to have changed. They are being grateful and less demanding. It is not my place to judge whether the new actions have been done for the right reasons or not. That is between them and Divine. At the end of the story of Jonah, he repents—he had another thought. He put on new glasses and saw, not with his ego, but with his heart.
It is so easy to hold on to grudges and grievances. We can do that, but does it lead to happiness? No, it leads to bitterness that keeps growing like cancer. Feel, embrace, allow, let go, and transformation is inevitable.
Being in the belly of the whale is one choice, just as accepting, allowing, embracing is a second choice. It seems easier to make choice one, but with practice the only choice you will want to make is the second choice. That is the only choice that leads to happiness. Now that I am out from the stench of the belly of the beast, the Sun is bright, and so is my outlook. Thank you for your time.
P.S. – Interesting to note both the Old Testament and the Qur’an tell the story of Jonah.
Theresa Contaxis 