Walking With God: 7 Shorts for Your Life JourneySample

## Guarding Our Access In our journey of faith, it’s vital to consider who and what we give access to in our lives. The story of Jonah in the Bible offers us valuable insights into this topic, particularly from the perspective of the people whose boat he boarded. When Jonah found himself running from God, he sought to escape on a ship bound for Tarshish. Little did the crew know that giving Jonah access to their vessel would have significant consequences. The sailors provided Jonah with a physical space, but in doing so, they invited a spiritual storm into their lives. Just as they faced a tempestuous sea, we too can find ourselves in turbulent situations when we allow the wrong influences and attitudes into our lives. Proverbs 13:20 warn us to “walk with the wise and become wise, for a companion of fools suffer harm.” The sailors, although innocent in their intent, suffered due to Jonah’s disobedience. By allowing them access to their vessel, they lost their precious cargo and found themselves in immense distress. Now, imagine yourself as one of the people on that boat. Jonah’s presence has cost you not only the cargo, but also your own possessions. He has led to a violent storm that has taken your possessions and now threatens your very safety. As the storm rages, you row harder in order to regain control. Jonah had brought turmoil to their lives, draining them physically and emotionally. They row to the point of exhaustion, but their effort is in vain. Likewise, when we allow toxic relationships or negative habits into our lives, we find ourselves becoming exhausted, straining to overcome the consequences of those choices. We begin to lose things that were once important to us. We allow their presence to rob us of our peace of mind. We have allowed access to those who did not deserve access, and we suffer the consequences of this. The story of Jonah teaches us the importance of choosing wisely. We must consider the people we allow into our inner circle, the media we consume, and the habits that we cultivate. By maintaining healthy boundaries and making intentional choices, we can safeguard our well-being and preserve our peace. When someone’s going to be on your boat, they need to have a vision, not just an opinion.