God does not sit back and merely watch us go through the motions. He moves among us, engaging us in the adventure of life---always leading, always teaching, always by our side. Open your eyes to the lessons He has for you this day...this hour...this moment.

 

TC&BG,

 

Chuck

 

 

More Lessons from The Great Fish Tale by Susan Paradise **

 

The next morning we carefully relived the whole adventure from each of our perspectives. We wanted to be certain of the facts and glean even more God-lessons from it. Here are the results:

 

The stench of the dead fish forced us to move as far away from it as possible and would have halted our plans for playing in the lake. Likewise, the rotting sin in our lives affects not only us, but others, even to the point of their avoiding us completely.

 

Flies were actually burrowing into the fish. Our sin, ignored and unburied, will attract other sins, They, too, will burrow deep into our lives.

 

Confronting the rotting fish required help. If we are struggling with a sin, we should call on our Christian brothers and sisters to help us bury it. Their help, even if it's "just" to stand by our side with encouragement, is so important.

 

When I could not find the fishing net, I called my husband. He told me where to look and remained on the line, walking me through the process of getting around the huge float barring my way. Often we must call on God to instruct us step-by-step in how to maneuver around the obstacles satan places in our lives.

 

As Renee chopped up the roots in the hole, my mind wandered to old westerns when cowboys would pile rocks on top of quickly dug graves. Our erosion control wall is made of large stones. I found one I could lift and placed it on top of the newly buried fish. When God did amazing things for the Israelites, they stacked stones of remembrance where it happened. When others asked about the stones, they would tell them what God had done. I plan to keep that stone in place for just that reason.

 

After dumping the fish into the hole, Reko went down to the dock and swished the net around in the lake until every bit of debris disappeared. Once we have repented of our sin, we must clear every temptation (certain people, places, and things) from our lives. If we fail, the stench will return as our sin slowly creeps back.

 

Finished with her tasks, Reko wanted to wash her hands. Judy opened her bottle and poured water over Reko's hands, cleaning them. When we repent of our sins, Jesus cleanses us with His blood and also with His living water.

 

So ends the Great Fish Tale with all its lessons. I wonder how many God-lessons we fail to notice each day. Let's make it a point to be alert and watch for them. Hopefully, they won't all be in the form of a dead stinking fish!