Ill Do It, But Don't Have To Like It

Its early morning… that air is stirring pollen, and if you listen close those birds out there sound like a bunch of old men at the diner, all talking at once like they ain’t seen each other since last spring.

I was sittin’ there the other morning, Bible open, readin’ about Jonah… and wouldn’t you know it, my mind drifted back to a day with a young Gunner reminded me of Jonah.

Now Gunner was about a year old… full of energy, full of opinions, and just enough sense to be dangerous. I had just started workin’ with a good friend of mine, a man who’s forgotten more about bird dogs than I’ll ever know. We were tryin’ to steady Gunner up. He had a bad habit of creepin’ in on birds. Not full-blown disobedience… just a little “I think I know better than you” mixed in there.

So my buddy says, “Don’t you worry about the dog. You flush the bird, you take the shot. I’ll handle the correction.”

So Gunner locks up on point. My buddy says, “Walk around. Shuffle your feet. Make him nervous. If he moves, I’ll remind him who’s in charge.” Well… Gunner moved and my buddy “reminded” him. He turned that collar up just enough to get his attention. Not mean… just clear. And you could see it in Gunner’s eyes… that moment where the argument leaves and the understanding shows up.

Submission. Not because he liked it… but because he knew he had to. My buddy said, “Alright, now flush him.” Bird gets up, I shoot, bird goes down. Pretty as a picture. Gunner takes off, brings that bird right back… does everything exactly right.

He walks up… drops that bird at my buddy’s feet, Then hikes his leg and waters that bird like a fire hydrant.

I about fell over. My buddy just bent double laughin’ and said, “I ain’t NEVER seen that in all my days!” Then he wiped his eyes and said somethin’ I wont ever forgot: “He did what I wanted him to do… but he didn’t have to like it.”

And right there on that damp ground, with a bird dog standin’ proud and stubborn at the same time… I got a picture of Jonah. Because that’s exactly what Jonah did. God said, “Go to Nineveh.” Jonah said, “I believe I’ll go the other direction.”

He didn’t just hesitate… he ran. Got on a boat, headed the opposite way, tryin’ to outdistance the will of God like it was a storm you could outrun. And you know the story… God sent a storm, then a great fish, and Jonah found himself sittin’ in a place working on a degree in marine biology.

Finally… finally… Jonah says, “Alright, Lord. I hear You.” God, in His mercy, gives him another chance. Jonah goes to Nineveh. Walks into that city. Preaches exactly what God told him to preach.

And here’s the wild part… they listen. Revival breaks out. People repent. God shows mercy. That’s the kind of moment most preachers would frame and hang on the wall. But not Jonah. Jonah walks out of the city, climbs up on a hill, and sits down to pout.

Scripture says in Jonah 4:1, “But it displeased Jonah exceedingly, and he was very angry.” Can you imagine that? God just moved in a mighty way… and Jonah’s sittin’ there mad about it. He obeyed… but his heart never got there.

He did what God told him to do but he didn’t have to like it.

Sound familiar?

See, here’s the truth that’ll sneak up on you while you’re watchin’ birds in the morning. You can do the right thing with the wrong heart.

You can obey God on the outside and still be resistin’ Him on the inside.

And when we do that, we miss the best part. We miss the closeness, the joy, and we miss that sweet fellowship that comes when obedience isn’t just outward… but inward too.

Because God’s not just after your actions… He’s after your heart. Psalm 51:10 says, “Create in me a clean heart, O God…” Not just clean hands but a clean heart.

Gunner learned to stand still… but that day he made sure everybody knew he still had an opinion about it.

Jonah preached the message… but then sat on a hill and let everybody know he didn’t agree with the outcome.

And if we’re honest… we’ve all had a little Gunner in us… a little Jonah too.

“Yes, Lord… I’ll do it.” But under our breath… “I still don’t like it.”

And friend, that’s where we’ve got a choice.

We can obey and pout, or we can obey and draw near.

There’s an intimacy in joyful obedience.

One feels like duty. The other feels like walking with Him in the cool of the evening.

So maybe today, as those birds keep carryin’ on their conversations.

It might be a good time to ask: “Lord am I just doing what You said, or am I walking with You while I do it?”

Because the message matters more than the messenger but oh, what a gift it is when the messenger’s heart is right too