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If I were to mention the name of the prophet Jonah, most would think of the man who unwillingly spent several days of his life camped out in the belly of a fish. Jonah probably would have preferred to live a quiet life, maintaining a respectable image, participating in synagogue activities, and just being a godly example to the people of Galilee. Surely this would be sufficient for a minister; however God had other plans.

The task God assigned to Jonah was to preach to the inhabitants of the Assyrian capital of Nineveh, located near the modern day city of Mosul in Iraq. Assyria was a military threat to Israel and reports of atrocities toward former conquests confirmed they were both violent and cruel. Assyrians ruthlessly looted, maimed, enslaved, and killed on a mass scale. God called Jonah to leave his comfortable surroundings and warn the people of Nineveh to repent and believe in the God of Abraham, or they would soon face judgment. Jonah hated the assignment. Why should he care about the people in Nineveh? They were not his people but Gentiles, and nasty ones at that. All Assyrians were enemies of Israel and seeing them destroyed would be a major benefit, in his opinion. Jonah made up his mind he was not going to Nineveh. Instead, he boarded a ship and began a journey in the opposite direction. If God wanted the people of Nineveh to be saved from destruction, He would have to choose someone else to accomplish the task. Jonah would not betray his country and help deliver a formidable enemy from a well deserved divine judgment. When it came to the residents of Nineveh, Jonah’s heart was cold, dead and hardened. Jonah was the unwilling prophet.

Bob came into the office early that morning. He was eager to get to work and read the documentary material about company history, vision for the future and of course, all about the boss and his accomplishments. Although he had been diligently studying the same book for a few years, it seems he was never able to master all there was to know about the Chief Executive Officer (C.E.O.) or the Chief Operations Officer (C.O.O) or even the Chief of Staff. They were distinguishable from one another but always worked in perfect unison to accomplish a task. For Bob, learning something new about them was nothing short of thrilling. It wasn’t long after Bob’s arrival that the C.O.O. entered the room and spoke to him. “Got a minute?” He said. Bob’s heart beat a little faster at this opportunity to enter into the boss’s office and speak face to face. Of course, he had talked with Bob before, and each time had proved a positive and enlightening experience. Bob loved the boss with all his heart, and there was nothing he could ask that Bob would not be willing to do.

“I know you have been studying company documentation diligently, but why haven’t you done what I asked you to do?” The boss didn’t project anger, just disappointment. Bob felt a deep sadness flood his entire being. The thought of failing to do a job for the one he dearly loved really hurt. He knew exactly what the boss was referring to; he could offer no excuse except the stumbling block created by his own feelings of inadequacy and unpreparedness. In fact, that is why he was so diligent about studying the company documents. He wanted to become skilled in sharing information both about the company and the boss. But the boss was one hundred percent correct, studying and doing were two different things. In his heart, Bob saw himself as an effective evangelist, eloquently sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ with everyone who would listen. However, the essential fact is he failed to recognize opportunities until it was too late, and the poignant moment had passed. He never actually walked through the open door, seizing the opportunity to tell others about the wonderful changes in his life because of the boss. If the whole truth were to be told, he was afraid to open his mouth.