“But Jonah ran away from the Lord and headed for Tarshish” (Jonah 1:3)
Last year Jesus put something very personal on my heart. He asked me to be brave and share my testimony, “Broken and Healed.”
Matt and I evangelize on the street by sharing our poem testimonies. My poem, “Broken and Healed,” has touched many lives showing that with Jesus’ help healing is possible. But God wanted me to take sharing my testimony to a whole other level. He wanted me to share it on my social media platforms. I knew that sharing my testimony online would be very personal since I had family and friends on my social media platforms, including family members, who might disagree with my testimony.
Over the next few months, I was quiet and listened to make sure it was his voice. God’s voice was a whisper. But after praying for months, I knew that it was God’s voice telling me to do what he instructed me to do.
I made the tough choice to share my poem on the anniversary of my assault. As the day grew closer, I began to get more anxious. So, I texted a dear friend of mine. “I am thinking of posting my poem on Facebook…But I am nervous to because of my dad’s family. But God wants me too. I should listen, right?” Her response was perfect! “If it is what God wants, you should do it. Do not feel like a Jonah and try to run from it.”
As I looked at the text message, I felt very connected with Jonah. For those of you who do not know Jonah’s story here is a summary: Jonah was an Old Testament prophet who was told by God to go preach to the people of Nineveh, but instead he went on a boat and had plans to go to the land of Tarshish. During his voyage a roaring storm came, and the people on the ship wanted the storm to pass. Because of this they cast lots, and it was shown that Jonah was the cause. He begged to be thrown overboard, and a whale came and ate him. He was in the belly of the whale for three days, where he prayed and listened for God. Oddly enough he was spit up onto the shores of Nineveh where God told him he was to preach. Jonah learned that it was better to listen to God the first time around instead of trying to run and act on his own plans.
I knew that my friend was right. I could either get on the boat and go to my “Nineveh” and obey God, or I could board a boat and go to my own “Tarshish.”
I knew in my heart I did not want to disobey God and end up in my own whale belly. For me that meant that I knew that I had to get on my own boat and post my poem no matter what feedback I got. That meant facing my fear of having the possibility of my dad’s family approaching me and accusing me of lying. I knew in my heart the truth of my assault, and I knew that God was with me. I knew that if I didn’t listen to God then I couldn’t continue to just share my poem on the streets. I had to listen to God and obey.
On May 30, early in the morning, I posted “Broken and Healed,” on my social media platforms. I took care of my mental health that day by going out with Matt. We shopped and had lunch. I stayed off social media until the next day.
I got little feedback, but more importantly than that is I obeyed God. I did not become a Jonah.
Harris' InkWell 