by Elizabeth Haarberg

You can listen to today’s devotion by clicking on this SoundCloud link.

There’s a story in John 21 about the disciples going fishing and Jesus telling them to throw their net on the other side of the boat. They made a haul!

“So Simon Peter went aboard and hauled the net ashore, full of large fish, 153 of them. And although there were so many, the net was not torn.”
John 21:11

The part about the number of fish is amazing but just as surprising is that the net doesn’t break.

When we are truly in rhythm with God, the work we do in His name is easy and it won’t break us. We will remain whole and strong.

There will be hard times, but if we remain in Jesus, He will sustain us.

The interesting story about this picture is that this fish bit me while snorkeling in Hawaii.

We don’t stop swimming because fish bite us. We scream underwater, hoping our kids don’t hear so it won’t scare them, and we go even further out into the deep.

This journey is not for the faint of heart. Not all “fish” want to come into the net. That’s okay. By fish, I mean people.

Maybe these fish will be drawn in some other time or possibly someone else can reach them. Our job is to keep fishing regardless of the outcome.

Once we realize that fishing is fun and you won’t catch every fish in the pond, you can start to enjoy the journey. No fish ends up in the net on accident. The fish are drawn to the light in us, the Holy Spirit. But some will reject the light. We pray blessings upon them and brush off our feet.

Just keep fishing, confident that the net will hold as long as we abide in Jesus.

Copyright Holy Cross Lutheran Church, Colorado Springs, Colorado