Life Interrupted

I am currently in the middle of the Bible study, "Jonah, A Life Interrupted" by Priscilla Shirer. It is so good. This is the second time that I am doing this study because I am pretty dense and it usually takes twice for the good stuff to sink in! Also, for me the second time in the same study is like dessert. I really enjoy the homework and the digging and the whole thought process of an in depth Bible study. Jonah is a short book but is really packed with lots of information. One of the main themes is discipline. Jonah is strongly disciplined by God and while it is a hard lesson learned....it worked. Jonah finally listens and obeys. This week we learned about being squeezed. When life is just tough and squeezes you all over. When you feel pulls and tugs and pressure on every side of you until you are just plumb worn out. Then, and only then, can we be poured out as a refreshment to someone else. Imagine squeezing an orange into a glass until all the juice is gone and nothing is left but peel and pith. But, you pick up the glass and drink the sweetness of the fruit. Discipline never feels good but results in fruit if we follow it with obedience. Jonah learned this the hard way and I am afraid that most of the time that is how we as children of God learn too. I have been living a life interrupted for the last few years. The second time through with this study has made it click for me that it isn't necessarily a life interruption I have been dealing with as much as it has been a "Divine Intervention." God has something good for me in the future. The road is hard and maybe long...but the end result will be so worth it.