Romans 1:5 “…through whom we have received grace and apostleship to bring about the obedience of faith for the sake of His name among all the nations.”

During this 31 day writing journey, I’ve shared openly with you about my homeschooling struggles. Looking at the logistics I think I have a good argument for calling it quits. We’ve had fun. My kids have a great foundation. We have habits we’ll continue no matter where we are.

On paper, my pros heavily outweigh the cons for sending them on to school.

I’m ready to sign on the dotted line except for one thing. This soft voice inside that keeps whispering…

“Don’t change anything.”

“This option may look good, but it’s not for you.”

“You’re not seeing the whole picture. If you did, it wouldn’t look so attractive.”

Yet outwardly, all the signs point that way. Even today at the end of my jog, I met up with our neighbor who brought up the subject. He mentioned how they too used to homeschool but now their kids go to school and they love it.

I guess the same can be said for Jonah.

Not with homeschooling of course, but with the “signs” all pointing in a certain direction.

“Now the word of the Lord came to Jonah the son of Amittai, saying, ‘Arise, go to Ninevah, that great city, and call out against it, for their evil has come up before me,’ But Jonah rose to flee to Tarshish from the presence of the Lord. He went down to Joppa and found a ship going to Tarshish. So he paid the fare and went down into it, to go with them to Tarshish, away from the presence of the Lord.” (Jonah 1:1-3)

Jonah heard clearly the word of the Lord and said, “No” anyway. (And not the NO I spoke of yesterday in my Faith to Say No post.)

He said, “No. I’m not going there!” and began walking in the opposite direction. Lo and behold he found a boat, still boarding for Tarsus with one ticket left. Must be meant to be!

But it wasn’t, and Jonah knew it.

The road to Ninevah looked dark and stormy, with moisture hanging in the air. The road to Tarsus, however, looked sunny and clear without a cloud in the sky.

Why then did God ask Jonah to go down the dark and stormy path to Ninevah?

I don’t know exactly, but I feel his pain and wonder the same thing. I clearly hear the Lord, and I still wrestle with the faith to obey. “I don’t wanna do this,” I cry, “I want the bright sunny days.”

Maybe they’ll come.

For Jonah took the “sunny” path but it didn’t stay clear and bright for long.

“But the Lord hurled a great wind upon the sea, and there was a mighty tempest on the sea, so that the ship threatened to break up. Then the mariners were afraid, and each cried out to his god…” (Jonah 1:4-5)

Maybe the opposite will be true for me. As I obey and walk down this stormy, dark path, maybe the clouds will part and sunshine will burst through.

In the meantime, I’m believing the promise that God will be my light. He says His word is a lamp unto my feet and a light to my path. That’s all the light I need.

What about you? What decisions do you face right now? Do the signs seem to point in one direction, yet your Spirit says a different one? O friend, do heed the voice of the Spirit, even if the road looks dark and scary!

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I hope your faith is growing along with mine as we explore this topic of faith every day for 31 days. If you’re just now joining me, you can catch up on all my posts HERE.

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