Too many to count
And as soon as they landed, they left everything and followed Jesus. — Luke 5:11
Much like the fish the soon-to-be disciples caught on their second trip out on the open water when the nets began to rip and the boats almost sank from the weight of the catch, you remember that time in your life when you realized your blessings were far too many to count.
You couldn’t have accrued this many blessings on your own. There’s just no way. You realize God has given you so much in your life that your cup overflows.
To extend the water imagery differently, it’s true that most of us have also experienced our glass half empty. Either life isn’t as big and as happy as it used to be, or you have been hit with something so hard that your boat is indeed rocking.
Still, at some point or points in your life, you recognize the gifts around you are far beyond measure. This is the place you reach just before you, like the disciples, commit to following Jesus. What is important in this story of Jesus and the disciples is that the guys hadn’t caught anything on their own. These pro fisherman came back to the shore with nothing. They’d been fishing the night before and came back with empty nets. It’s at this point that Jesus commands them to go out and do it again.
Hear Jesus say to you, “Go out and do it again.” Or maybe He’s saying, “Keep going.” Or maybe He’s saying, “Even though you’re empty now, keep on keeping on.”
And you will. And yes, those blessings—like those fish on the second catch—will be far too great to count.
PRAYER: Help us go back out there, Lord. Even—or especially—if our nets are empty, help us fish. Amen.
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