Pulling Up Nets

“They went out and got in the boat, and that night they caught nothing. Then Jesus said to them, ‘Children, have you any food?’ ‘No.’ And He said to them, ‘Cast the net on the right side of the boat, and you will find some.’ So they cast, and now they were not able to draw it in because of the multitude of fish. Simon Peter went up and dragged the net…full of large fish, one hundred and fifty-three.” John 21:3-6, 11

Back in 1989 like many of you we experienced Hurricane Hugo. We live in the middle of 6 acres and back then our land was thick with trees. I remember sitting in our loft in the middle of the night listening to the wind and the snapping of trees. It was like being blindfolded around a fire hearing the loud crackling of the logs as the fire burned them. Snaps, cracks and wind in the dark of the night inflamed my imagination. I couldn’t wait until the sun rose so I could see the effects of the storm. As the earth lent its light to me that morning, I could see nothing but a long, curved driveway with huge trees laying across it. I wrapped up and began climbing over each tree counting them as I worked my way up to the main road…63 trees were down on my driveway. Someone asked me once, 'Why did you count them?' I never could give an answer but I knew at the time it was important to me.

I truly believe that every single word in the Bible is not only factual but God-breathed…God-inspired...God-given through the stories of many faithful followers. I have read the account of ‘Breakfast with Jesus’ many times but this morning was struck with a small and seemingly unimportant fact. John noted that the number of fish they dragged behind the boat and onto shore was 153. For John to know this he must have taken the time to count them which at first seemed odd to me. But then, God lifted this memory to my mind and I remember that a few people (probably more) thought it weird that I had counted the trees. I have a theory on why John might have taken the time to count the fish… he fully understood from Whom the fish had come and with each count was an acknowledgement of its blessing. He counted each fish as they were pulled from the net as individual blessings before he did anything else.

It is so easy to count the things that are going wrong…to question the lack in our lives instead of the fullness…to multiply our efforts instead of waiting on God's. So many times, we pull up nets that are empty and become tired…frustrated…impatient. But Jesus will always guide us into abundance if we will remain steadfast…watchful…hopeful. Make sure that you count your blessings when you pull up your net.