One day, I approached my mother wearing a tie and carrying a folder full of papers. Most of the documents were silly doodles and arbitrary graphs, but it made me feel like a little lawyer. I slapped the folder onto the kitchen table and invited her to look over the report while I delivered my world class presentation. What was my argument? I wanted her to buy me a four-wheeler. I knew she thought they were dangerous, so I wanted to show her that I meant business. Thus, I pulled out all the business strategies I saw from my dad— the folder, tie around my neck, piles of paperwork, and the confident attitude. 

I made a powerful presentation. It was full of emotion, logic, and even a dance move or two. There was no way she’d be able to decline such persistence and pizazz. Once I made my case, I sat down to get down to the nuts and bolts. “What color do you think is best?” I asked. She gulped and then responded, “You aren’t getting a four-wheeler. Sorry, honey.” My little heart broke beneath my checkered necktie. What about the report? What about the promise to not die? What about all the chores I agreed to add to my chart? I did what any other sane six year old would do in that position: I packed my bags and walked out the front door. 

“I’m leaving forever,” I announced with my Rugrats backpack around my shoulder and stuffed Tigger toy under my arm. I strutted down the driveway never to return to my childhood home. My mother stood at the front door waving goodbye. No, she wasn’t being heartless; she was just calling my bluff. I made it as far as I could go, which was the little fort forty yards from my house. As I unpacked, I sorted through two days worth of shirts and four weeks worth of Pop-Tarts. Then, I just smiled at my lifeless Tigger doll. “This is going to be great,” I muttered to myself. 

The calming orange hue of the sun transitioned to a dark red as the sun disappeared form the southern sky. Suddenly, my cozy fort transformed into a full-on haunted death shed. I began hearing spooky noises and started to feel as though there were intruders surrounding me. I abandoned my stuffed animal and Pop-Tarts and ran towards the warm glow of my house. As I darted into the front door, mom welcomed me home and offered to make me some chocolate milk. I accepted the milk but insisted I was still running away again in the morning. It rained the next day, so I stayed home for the next thirteen years. 

Have you ever tried to run away? I am not necessarily talking about running away from home. People run away from a broad spectrum of things. They run away from responsibility. They run away from the consequences of their actions. They run away from people. People are even prone to running away from God. In this discussion guide, we are going to explore the experiences of a rebellious prophet who tried to run away from God. 

READ: Jonah 1:1-3
“The word of the Lord came to Jonah son of Amittai: “Go to the great city of Nineveh and preach against it, because its wickedness has come up before me.” But Jonah ran away from the Lord and headed for Tarshish.”

Jonah’s name means “dove.” I find this very fitting as he was prone to flying away from his responsibilities. Just like when birds freak out before a blizzard, Jonah was prone to freak out whenever God gave him direction. He loved running in the opposite direction, quite frankly. Honestly, there is a little bit of Jonah in all of us. There are things that God has called us to that we want to run away from. 

What are you running away from that you should be running towards? Are you running away from the people you need to tell about Jesus or are you running towards them? Are you running away from the changes you need to make in your life or are you running towards them? The story of Jonah is a reminder to run towards all God has for you. Run towards your calling. Run towards your problems. Run towards the dream God gave you. Run towards those things that you think will be challenging because they might actually change you. If God is calling you to something, you had better run towards it. 

God was not calling Jonah to something easy. God instructed him to go to the city of Nineveh to preach. Nineveh was the capital of Assyria, and the people there were world renown for their violence and vengeance. Today, they’d make a Quentin Tarantino movie look like the Mr. Rogers Show. Historically, Assyria was one of the first civilizations to learn how to use iron. However, they didn’t use this gift to make silverware and cool statues. They used iron to make weapons. When you showed up to a battle in Nineveh, you were showing up to a gunfight with a banana. They were gifted at both making weapons and using them. 

No one wanted to go there. They tortured people. They killed people. Their children were taught warfare in elementary school. They didn’t use their turn signal. This was a wicked city, but it happened to be where God called Jonah to serve. Sometimes, God’s calling is challenging. 

It’s easy for us to give Jonah a hard time for not obeying God, but he was facing a frightening calling. Give Jonah a break because sometimes we are afraid to invite our cousin to church. This forces us to face a critical question. What is God calling you to do that you keep resisting? 

Maybe God has called you to start a Bible study in your school, but you keep putting it off. Maybe you know it’s time to stop seeing that boy, but you just keep hanging on and thinking he’ll change. Maybe God wants you to start taking your health seriously, but it’s easier to sit around with a bag of Butterfingers. Maybe God is pushing you towards serving at a summer camp, but you’re afraid to give up your break. Whatever it is, it’s time you stop resisting. 

Delayed obedience is disobedience. Think of your challenging calling. Stop resisting and start obeying. You may not feel like you want to do it now, but the Bible teaches that God will change you along the way. God’s will for you may not seem like what you want, but it’ll always be what you need. Stop running away from it and start running towards it. 

TALK IT OUT 
Go through these questions with your circle. Be honest. Be open. Talk through the tough stuff.
Q1: Did you ever try to run away as a kid? Why did you run and how far did you make it?
Q2: What kind of situations, pressures, or callings do your peers tend to run away from? Why do you think that is?
Q3: Have you ever tried to run away from doing the right thing that God was calling you to do? How did it turn out? 
Q4: Have you ever followed God’s call of doing something right even though it was difficult? How did it turn out? 
Q5: What’s something you’ve been running away from that you should be running towards? What can you do this week to take a step of obedience in God’s direction?