Let your nets down

Recently the weather here has been a little bleak!! All of you oversea getting a few rays of sunshine, embrace!!!! I would even say that its colder than NZ winters at the moment, it seems there is a low front followed by another low front coming across the country. This just means that when summer comes, Im guessing it will be extreme hotness!! So the climate change story teaches me. This topic for another blog post though.... 

I have not had time to visit either of the lakes in recent weeks, as I arise early for my morning run sticking to the pavement with the street lights just to stay safe. 

Have you ever noticed how lakes, both in fairy tales and sacred legends are often strange and symbolic places? They often are deep and hold secrets that can’t be discerned from the surface, they are the residences of mystery! 

The closest I have got to the lake is through my reflection on John 21:1-14 . This offers a gorgeous imagery about the power and majesty of Christ after the resurrection. There is something dream like about this scene; halfway between night and day, with the first hint of dawn spreading pencil-like along the horizon. Patches of mist and fog rising from the water. The gentle noise of the waves slapping against the boat or the sound of water tear drops falling from the nets. The deep sighs of the fishermen, whose muscles ache from the toil of the fruitless labour night. From a far distance standing on the shore, a Divine Strangers voice cuts through the mist telling them to keep going, lower nets on the right side and their nets will be full of abundance. 

I stand along with you, knowing a lot about the right and left side???? The left side of the brain is calculating, orderly side, analyzes, does figures and gives names to things. The right side on the other hand is dreaming, creative and artistic side, the side that responds to pictures and images.
Through the Gospels I can see Jesus dealt with a lot of people who were left-brained, including the legalists, the ones who thought the world was constructed by an accountant and everything seen in black and white. Maybe Jesus taught the disciples not to be like accountants, always measuring things’ rather to live and act out of their right brains as visionaries and artist. 

Trusting in the Lord and live nobly, generously and without counting the cost or stopping to dot their i’s or cross their t’s. If they would do that, they would always find their nets full and live in the overflow of grace and excitement. 

MAYBE, there is something more personal in the text though than the message of what side of the brain we use. Have you ever noticed that even fairy stories serve deep and important purposes in our lives to help us know ourselves and interpret the messages life reveals to us. What if the story of the lake and the fisherman suggests something to us about our own stories, about the way we may have been fishing a long time without catching any fish?

Aha!! 

“Cast your net on the right side of the boat,” 

says Jesus, 

“and you will be surprised what happens to you” 

What if he’s right? Have you ever doubted? I do believe I have and its so easy to question if I know how to do my own fishing. Sometimes I wonder if there are fish even close to my boat..... Yet there is something so tremendous and exciting down there merly waiting for me/us. What will it take to hook it - possibly just a little adjustment in where the nets are let down, learning how to conceive existence and possibly even fishing in a new place!

The world tells us that changes comes as a result of climbing the mountain of self-achievement.  We take inventory of our tools, our strengths and our gifts.  Our focus on change zeroes in on our ability to reach a place of faith.

Jesus took a completely opposite route. His most purposeful work took place while He was waiting for God the Father to act on His behalf, instead of doing.

This absence of visible activity was right where Jesus finds the disciples fishing after He died.

Surprising, or possibly not so surprising the disciples went back to resigning themselves to everyday life. 

“He called out to them, ‘Friends, haven’t you any fish?‘

‘No,’ they answered …

When they landed, they saw a fire of burning coals there with fish on it, and some bread.

Jesus to them, ‘Come and have breakfast’.”

(John 21:4-13)

In the same way, Jesus comes to us in our “dead ends”. Jesus can find us, even when we’ve tucked ourselves away, in a secluded spot — feeling empty and ordinary.

With bread and fish, Jesus prepares breakfast for us.

He calls.   We come.

Somewhere between breaking bread and enjoying His company, we become changed.

It’s not anything we can do.  Instead, it is a greater, over powering gift. 

In His presence, we learn to extend our hands, open little or wide, and receive.

This is an inspiring invitation don't you think?

Too simplistic?? 

You see, the lake is deep. It has far richer resources that we usually imagine. It is never completely fished out, not for any of us. We only need to learn to readjust, to let our nets down in a new area, to rediscover the riches. When it occurs whenever your nets, that have been empty, begin to come up full again; when life that was hard and narrow and grudgining begins to be free and open and happy again!! 

Then like Peter in the story, you can’t even wait for the boat to get to shore; you want to jump in and rush up to Christ to say, “Thank you, thank you, thank you!”