The Catfish in Our Lives

For this is the message that you have heard from the beginning, that we should love one another. We should not be like Cain, who was of the evil one and murdered his brother. And why did he murder him? Because his own deeds were evil and his brother's righteous. Do not be surprised, brothers, that the world hates you. We know that we have passed out of death into life, because we love the brothers. Whoever does not love abides in death. Everyone who hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him. (1 John 3:11-15 ESV). Somehow I manage to store in my brain all sorts of unrelated, and sometimes meaningless, trivia. Thankfully some of it surfaces at various times with some sort of principle to teach me. That’s at the root of today’s “trivia.” It seems some fish suppliers were having problems shipping codfish from the East Coast. By the time the fish reached the West Coast, they were spoiled. They froze them, but by the time the fish arrived, they were mushy. So the seafood company decided to send them alive; but, the fish arrived dead. On their third try, they once more shipped the fish alive; however, this time they included a catfish in each water tank. It seems the catfish is the natural enemy of the codfish. By the time the codfish arrived, they were alive and well, because they had spent their trip fleeing the catfish, which produced more oxygen for them to breathe through the trip. We are beginning a study in Job today at church. It will be a challenging series to preach. My prayer is that it will help us all focus on the great principle of God’s grace even in the midst of our trials. Perhaps some of the reason why God ordains these experiences for our lives is simply to put a catfish in our life keeping us spiritually alert and centered in His strength. The world hates us. That is not open for debate. Shortly before He went to the cross, Jesus told the disciples, "If you were of the world, the world would love its own. Yet because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you" (John 15:19). If you're experiencing trial, whether subtle or direct, remember this is a part of being a child of God; and, Jesus has already suffered the finality of death on our behalf. Be glad in that. In the midst of every trial or difficulty of life we cannot fail to remember the great love of God shown to us through Jesus’ death. That is the tether that draws us back to the incredible truth that nothing in this world, as bad as it may seem, can rob us of the ultimate truth of God’s grace toward us. When you endure trials or persecution, remember that this world is not your home. And as far as I know, there are no catfish in heaven.