Does God overlook our attitude problems? Well there's an interesting example in his word about man with a real attitude problem who pitched a fit and refused to do what God told him.
In the story of Jonah we can see how God dealt with Jonah, and how he often deals with us. The Word of the Lord came to Jonah. “Go to the great city of Nineveh and preach against it, because its wickedness has come before me.” But Jonah ran away from the Lord and headed for Tarshish. He went down to Joppah where he found a ship bound for that port. After paying the fare Jonah went aboard and sailed for Tarshish fleeing from the Lord. Then the Lord sent a great wind on the sea, and such a violent storm arose that the ship threatened to break apart and all the sailors were afraid, and each cried out to his own god.
But Jonah had gone below deck, where he laid down and fell into a deep sleep. The captain went to him and said, “how can you sleep? Get up and call to your god for help. Then the sailors said to each other “Come, let us cast lots to find out who is responsible for this calamity.” they cast lots and the lot fell on Jonah. So they asked him. “tell us, who is responsible for making all this trouble for us? What do you do? Where do you come from? What is your country? From what people are you?” Jonah answered, “I am a Hebrew and I worship the Lord, the God of heaven, who made the sea and the land.” this terrified them and they asked, what have you done?” they knew that he was running from the Lord, because he had already told them. The sea was getting rougher and rougher. So they asked Jonah, “What should we do to you to make the sea calm down for us? “Jonah told them pick me up and throw me into the sea,' he replied, 'and it will become calm. For I know that it is my fault that this great storm has come upon you.” Then they took Jonah and threw him overboard, and the raging sea grew calm.
But the Lord provided a great fish to swallow Jonah, and Jonah was inside the fish for three days and three nights. From inside the fish Jonah prayed to the Lord his God. And the Lord commanded the fish, and it vomited Jonah onto dry land. Then Jonah obeyed the word of the Lord and went to Nineveh. When the news reached the king of Nineveh, he rose from his throne, took off his royal robes, covered himself with sackcloth and sat down in the dust. Then he issued a proclamation in Nineveh: “By the decree of the king and his nobles; do not let any man or beast, herd or flock, taste anything; do not let them eat or drink. But let man and beast be covered with sackcloth. Let them give up their evil ways and their violence. Who knows? God may yet relent and with compassion turn from his fierce anger so that we will not perish.” when God saw what they did and how they turned from their evil ways, he had compassion and did not bring upon them the destruction he had threatened.
But Jonah was greatly displeased and became angry and said now, O Lord, take away my life, for it is better for me to die than to live.” but the Lord replied, “Have you any right to be angry?” Jonah went out and sat down at a place east of the city. There he made himself a shelter and sat in its shade while he waited to see what would happen to the city. “Out of compassion. The Lord provided a vine and made it grow up over Jonah to give him shade for his head and ease his discomfort, and Jonah was very happy about the vine. But at dawn the next day God provided a worm, which chewed the vine so that it withered. When the sun rose, God provided a scorching east wind so that the sun blazed on top of Jonah's head so that Jonah grew faint and wanted to die, and told God, “that It would be better for me to die than to live.” But the Lord said to Jonah. “Do you have any right to be angry about the vine?” “I do, Jonah replied. “I am angry enough to die.” But the Lord told Jonah. “You have been concerned about this vine although you did not tend it or make it grow. It sprang up overnight and died overnight. But Nineveh has more than a hundred and twenty thousand people who cannot tell their right hand from their left. Should I not be concerned about that great city?”
God showed Jonah how selfish he was being, and he had no consideration for anyone other than himself. “God is always compassionate and quick to forgive anyone of their mistakes, he showed Jonah that he not only cared about his needs, but also about the needs and lives of other people. So, as God's children, we should do likewise..
