Gone Fishin’
23 Sep, 2012
My friend Jackie who lives in Ireland tells a great story about her oldest son. When he was four or five they had a pet goldfish. The poor fish died, so Jackie flushed it and bought a new one, sure that her son would never notice the difference. Later that day, Jackie was in the kitchen and heard her son calling to her. She found him in the bathroom. He was looking into the toilet and saying, “Mama, Mama, look! Fishie! The once-flushed goldfish was swimming around in the toilet very much alive. Jackie helped her son celebrate the long-lost “brother” of the goldfish that was swimming in the fishbowl, and the two goldfish had a happy reunion!
Jackie says she smiles every time she thinks about that resurrected fish.
Isn’t it amazing how a simple story about fish tells us so much about a mother’s love for her child. One of my favorite verses in the Bible is this one from the New Testament book of Matthew, chapter 10, verses 28-31. In these verses, Jesus tells his disciples not to worry, that God even knows when a sparrow falls, and if He knows that, just imagine how much he cares about people.
When I look up at the night sky, sometimes the immensity and grandeur of the stars absolutely astounds me. I realize how very small our little green and blue earth is and in turn how miniscule I am, and from there I sometimes wonder how the Creator God could ever even spare a thought for me.
One night within my doubt, God reached down to me and placed one lovely thought into my head. “If I’m great enough to create multiple galaxies, interlocking universes, and the very concept of life itself, then why do you think that I’m not big enough to care about each of my creatures?” In other words, I was putting God into a box, walled in by my limited and finite understanding.
How amazing to have a God so incredible, so omnipotent that he cares about the sparrow. And each of us. And even a goldfish, who evidently needed a brother!
I recently asked my FaceBook friends and now will ask you, Is there a special place – or occasion – where or when you feel closest to God?
I want to start the comments off by saying that I often feel closest to God when I’m outside walking and enjoying His beautiful world!
I feel closest to God when I am in my prayer garden. God has blessed us with a new home and it has a special pergola and I have made it into a prayer garden. Before that it was always where I had my devotions with Him in the early morning in my recliner. It is great to be with Him and fellowship and have a relationship with Him.
What a beautiful place God has given you, Linda, to rejoice in His presence!
My My favorite place to talk to God now is walking the beach on Oak Island NC or Myrtle Beach SC.
Just returned from a week at Myrtle Beach on the Ocean. Walked every day. Our Balcony view was a golf course on the right (where we watched a couple get married and listened to their music during their outside wedding). In the past “Rocky Point” was my favorite place. Looking out the windows of the cabin and watching the boats heading to The Soo. Special at night when it was dark and the lights on the boats made a beautiful sight.
I agree, Justine. There’s something about a beach or a soft velvet night that reminds us God is close.