“The people of Nineveh believed God’s message, and from the greatest to the least, they declared a fast and put on burlap to show their sorrow.“

So much of change that wants to be accomplished gets hung up and derailed because not everyone, from the top of the organization to the bottom are all called to do the same thing, or make the same sacrifices.  We all have our stories about how the C-Suite doesn’t have to participate in a change, allowance or activity and how from that point on there isn’t buy-in from the rest of the organization. And that buy-in is especially not happening at the front line. Unless, everyone does it, it just never gets done.

When Jonah went into Ninevah to warn the people there of the impending doom (more on this tomorrow), everyone, including the King, sat in burlap bags in the dirt to show their repentance.  We are told that everyone did this and because of this God saw and listened. I’m pretty sure had it not been 100% participation that we wouldn’t be referencing this account of God’s mercy.  We are all asked to do things that we think are “below us”, but when this happens because we are being asked to participate with everyone else, then we can think back to why God spared the people of Ninevah; because they all did it.  As believers we are called to daily live in God’s ways and when we are asked to give of ourselves for the good of others, then we are becoming more like the least of us, and that is how God wants us to be.

Reference: Jonah 3:5 (New Living Translation)