The sea was getting rougher and rougher.  So they asked him, “What should we do to you to make the sea calm down for us?”

“Pick me up and throw me into the sea,” he replied, “and it will become calm.  I know that it is my fault that this great storm has come upon you.” (Jonah 1:11-12)

Wow.

Way to own it, Jonah.

We make so many excuses.  We give so many reasons to justify our actions.

Or our inactions.

I teach middle school.  Trust me, I’ve heard about every excuse there is.  Those little…lovely…children can shift the blame like nobody’s business.  Somehow, in their world, the responsibility for failing a test, not doing homework, chewing gum, talking out of turn, falls squarely on the shoulders of

Someone else.

It is refreshing to meet a student—or an adult, for that matter—who is willing to stand up and take responsibility for their actions.

No matter the consequences.

It’s not the easy way, Beloved.

But it is The Way.