Fishes

After Jesus died some of his disciples returned to their old professions and went fishing. They fished all night without success. In the morning The Risen Christ stood unrecognized on the shore and asked them if they caught anything, to which he was answered in the negative. He told them

Cast the net on the right side of the ship, and ye shall find.

They obeyed and were not able to draw up the net because it was so heavy. An instant miracle from obedience. Irrepressible Peter immediately knew who was guiding from land and jumped overboard to swim to him because he couldn't wait to row the boat to shore. (It was heavy from all the fish!) Friendship indeed. How Peter must have loved the Savior.

Every day of my life is spent fishing. The catch of the day is up to me. I think about this every time I start to feel hollow instead of happy.

When I fish on the wrong side of the boat I come up empty. Feeling empty and hollow is the worst, especially when I worked hard on my feet through the night to catch that emptiness. The wrong side is where goals that reap no eternal happiness are chased. Some of the worst empty nets are obsessing about physical appearance, temporary pleasure from shiny possessions, shallow causes, arguing, prideful competition, and artificial beauty. Those nets trick me every time. I think they are catching something big but all they do is come up dripping and unfulfilled.

When I fish on the right side I have a happiness overflow issue. The right side is where I do what Jesus has asked, or commanded, me to do. I'm just as tired from working through the night but somehow that net teeming with life erases the fatigue. I know we are blessed, sometimes even instantly, for obeying the Savior. I can say without a doubt that I love my family (and my neighbors near and far) more than I love myself. I'm just not sure my fishing actions prove it. I chose to be a wife and mother but I need to keep choosing to be a wife and mother. Service and sacrifice catch big fish.

I love my Savior. He is truly my guide and my friend. I understand Peter jumping ship to get to him. I would have done the same thing. Ironically, the way for me to be closest to Him is not to swim to shore but to stay in the boat and cast my net to the right. He will always give me light over darkness, faith over doubt, and bounty over vacancy.

*Story found in the Gospel of St John, Chapter 21