Bad Attitudes

In last weeks Blog I mentioned Jonah 3:1-2 and talked about how God gave Jonah a second chance. Well in the remainder of that chapter Jonah goes to Nineveh, preaches, the people repent, and God spares the city from being destroyed.

As Jonah chapter 4 opens up, Jonah is not happy.

Jonah 4:1-4 - But it greatly displeased Jonah and he became angry. He prayed to the LORD and said, "Please LORD, was not this what I said while I was still in my own country? Therefore in order to forestall this I fled to Tarshish, for I knew that You are a gracious and compassionate God, slow to anger and abundant in lovingkindness, and one who relents concerning calamity. "Therefore now, O LORD, please take my life from me, for death is better to me than life." The LORD said, "Do you have good reason to be angry?" (NASB)

Have you ever had a day like the small boy had in the book “Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day” by Judith Viorst?

Here is an excerpt from that book:

I went to sleep with gum in my mouth and now there’s gum in my hair and when I got out of bed this morning I tripped on the skateboard and by mistake I dropped my sweater in the sink while the water was running and I could tell it was going to be a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day.

At school Mrs. Dickens liked Paul’s picture of the sailboat better than my picture of the invisible castle. At singing time she said I sang too loud. At counting time she said I left out sixteen. Who needs sixteen? I could tell it was going to be a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day.

There were lima beans for dinner and I hate limas. There was kissing on TV and I hate kissing. My bath was too hot, I got soap in my eyes, my marble went down the drain, and I had to wear my railroad pajamas. I hate my railroad pajamas.When I went to bed Nick took back the pillow he said I could keep and the Mickey Mouse night light burned out and I bit my tongue. The cat wants to sleep with Anthony, not with me. It has been a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day. 

Maybe you have felt that way. Ask yourself the question, "Do I have a right to feel this way?" To help you answer that question just think of all that God has done for you. We have been so blessed by God. When was the last time you sat down and took an inventory of your blessings. Perhaps you are long overdue.