JOY- Champions by the Fruit of the SpiritSample

Joy vs. Self-Pity

Bible story: Jonah and the worm (Jonah 4:1-10)

Theme Verse: 2 Corinthians 4:17-18

One of the things that can steal our joy is when we focus too much on ourselves and allow our emotions to get us down. Self-pity is focusing on our own troubles and letting that make us unhappy. It is the feeling that your situation is worse than what other people face and that they should feel sad for you. It can be plain sadness, but often leads to manipulating others into feeling sorry for us and giving us attention. When we are stuck in self-pity, we hope someone says to us, "Oh, you poor thing."

You might have heard about Jonah and the whale, but today's Bible story is Jonah and the worm!

After Jonah's encounter with the whale, he arrived in Nineveh and preached the gospel to the city. The people in Nineveh repented of their sins, and turned from their evil ways. Therefore, God had compassion on the city and did not destroy them as He had planned.

This made Jonah angry, so he left the city and went outside to mope. God provided a vine to give him shade. The next day, God sent a worm that nibbled on the vine, and it withered. Then the sun scorched Jonah's head. He again became angry, this time over the withered vine.

God said to Jonah, “You have been concerned about this plant, though you did not tend it or make it grow. It sprang up overnight and died overnight. And should I not have concern for the great city of Nineveh, in which there are more than a hundred and twenty thousand people…?” Jonah 4:10-11

When we are stuck in the mud of self-pity, we can do what God did with Jonah: take a step back and look at the big picture. There were more than 120,000 people in that city. It was wonderful that God saved them. What is the big picture of your situation? If you are sick, think about how many others are also sick but have something that is worse than what you have. If you feel poor, and unable to improve your situation, think about the many thousands of people who are even poorer than you are, with no way out.

If you are having trouble seeing the bigger picture, ask God to open your eyes to see it. Stop thinking about your own troubles, and focus instead on the troubles that others have. When you step back and look at the bigger picture, you can be free from self-pity, and experience joy in your life.

Questions:

1. What is the bigger picture?

2. What do people do who are feeling sorry for themselves?

3. Why do so many people boss me around?

Life Application:

Help at a homeless shelter, or a ministry that feeds the poor. Alternatively, visit the sick in a hospital. Pray and ask God to open your eyes to the bigger picture and help you take your eyes off of yourself.