A Pastor’s Perspective

“God Appointed Catfish” by Mike Hill, pastor of Calvary Chapel Aberdeen (mjhill@ida.net)      Listen to CALVARY RADIO 90.3 FM

 Have you recently experienced a crisis?  Is trouble knocking on your door?  The following story offers a helpful eternal perspective on our hurtful temporal troubles in life.  Credit is due to Chuck Swindoll (www.insight.org) for this encouraging story.

“In the northeastern United States codfish are a big commercial business. The public demand posed a problem to the shippers. At first they froze the cod, then shipped them elsewhere, but the freeze took away much of the flavor. So they experimented with shipping them alive, in tanks of seawater, but that proved even worse. Not only was it more expensive, the cod still lost its flavor and, in addition, became soft and mushy.

Finally, some creative person solved the problem in a most innovative manner. The codfish were placed in the tank of water along with their natural enemy—the catfish. From the time the cod left the East Coast until it arrived at its westernmost destination, those ornery catfish chased the cod all over the tank. And, you guessed it, when the cod arrived at the market; they were as fresh as when they were first caught. There was no loss of flavor nor was the texture affected. If anything, it was better than before.

Each one of us is in a tank of particular and inescapable circumstances. It is painful enough to stay in the tank. But in addition to our situation, there are God-appointed ‘catfish’ to bring sufficient tension that keeps us alive, alert, fresh and growing. It's all part of God's project to shape our character so we will be more like his Son. Understand why the catfish are in your tank. Understand they are part of God's method of producing character in your life and mine. The Lord gives us friends to push us to our potential—and enemies to push us beyond it.”

What aspect of this story resonates within your heart concerning your circumstance?  Commit your life and situation to the Lord.  He has a miraculous way of working all things together for good for those who love Him and are called according to His purpose (Romans 8:28).  Also, ask God for wisdom and yield to His input in how you ought to respond to your current crisis (James 1:5).  In the process, He will shape and mold your character to become more like Jesus (Romans 8:29; James 1:2-4).