I was just reading through the scripture for my lesson in Kinder/1st this morning. First of all, I have to say that I am so blessed to be able to call this my job. I literally get to pour the Word and Love of God into the lives of these sweet children in the most creative way that I can. And it's called "work". Of course there are always challenging days, or times (*squints at SUMMER BREAK*) but it is so rewarding and FUN!
I digress. Today I was talking with a co-worker and I said, "You know, the kids call me a teacher, but I really never thought of myself as one. Sometimes I wonder what God was thinking when He placed me here, because it is so different than the path that I was on that I was SURE was the right one." Newsflash: studying criminal profiling and psychology does NOT translate into teaching kindergarteners on Sunday morning. Those skills and knowledge are now useless. Although still highly entertaining. And expensive (student loans are NEVER a good idea, folks!).
She gave me some reassuring words and we went on happily about our day. How could you not go on happily about your day when the next few things on your to-do list were "1. decide on a game for Sunday, 2. get craft supplies ready for Sunday, and 3. read Bible story for Sunday"? Well, I moved on through my list and landed on #3. The story this week hit me. In the gut. Hard.
Let me expound on that.
Our theme this month is Friendship, and this week we are focusing on how friends forgive one another. Pretty straight-foward. But the story is from John 21:3-14. Peter has been through a lot, this is right after the crucifixion AND his triple denial of his relationship with Christ. He decides to go back to what he knows. Fishing. He's going to go fishing to relax, recenter himself, whatever it is that he needs to do. Now, if I remember correctly, he was a professional fisherman. And they NEVER fish at night. Which leads me to believe that he was just going to go through the motions as a way to soothe himself. When he hasn't caught anything after being on the water all night (no big surprise there) he sees a man on the shore who asks if they have caught anything. Um, no, sir, they have not. The man proceeds to tell them to throw their net on the right side of the boat. K, weird, but OK. They do, and they haul in so many fish that the nets were full to bursting. When Peter figures out who it is, he jumps in the water and swims to shore to see his friend - Jesus.
Here's the sneaky little line in there that just nailed me to the floor. It happens in verse 9. "When they landed they saw a fire of burning coals. There were fish on it. There was also some bread (NIRV)". Did you see it? "There were fish on it". They haven't dragged their catch in yet, guys. But Jesus had a fire with FISH ON IT. Which means, He was ready. He really didn't need their catch in order to have breakfast. He didn't need them to supply anything. They weren't expecting to catch anything, and had accepted the fact that they didn't. But they were obedient to his directions, even when they didn't know that it came from Him. And when they saw the level of the blessing they received they realized it could ONLY have come from Him. Jesus was prepared to have them come, sit, and join Him in a meal whether they had caught fish or not, whether they had listened to Him about the fishing or not. The fact that they DID listen to Him only increased how much blessing He had to give them. They were going to eat fish either way.
Isn't that so true of how He works in our lives? He is ready to bless us all the time. He is ready to sit and fellowship and engage in relationship with us at all times. Sometimes we aren't even looking to accomplish anything, and yet Christ can do amazing things in our lives. All we need is to be obedient and open to his voice. While we may feel that what we bring to the table is lacking, or less-than what He deserves, we need to remember that it isn't about how much we do, how much we bring, etc. It is about the step of obedience and faith to His words. THAT is what He values.
Christ loves us so much. It sounds like a Sunday school line, but let it sink in. He loves us. And He wants to spend time with us, and He wants to bless us. If we love Him, and listen to Him, and obey Him, He promises that He will be with us. We are going to sit down to eat fish with Him - the question is, how much fish will there be? Are we going to allow Him to work through us, even when we don't think that we are in the right place at the right time, or doing the right thing? Are we going to listen to His voice from the shore telling us to cast our nets to the other side of the boat?
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