Get Out of the Boat!

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It was about five days after Easter, you know, the day we celebrate the Good News that Jesus rose from the dead, and I found myself mumbling that I could use some "good news."  I laughed out loud at the irony that I could actually be saying that so soon after Easter.

How quickly we forget, and go back to our old way of thinking.

I guess I am in good company.  My husband was listening to a reflection in which the commentator suggested Peter did the same thing after Jesus death/resurrection.  He simply went back to what he was used to doing--fishing.  You can read about it in the Gospel of John, Chapter 21.

My husband noted that Peter's reaction to seeing Jesus standing on the shore was like Forrest Gump's reaction when he saw Lieutenant Dan!  Sure enough, when Forrest saw Dan sitting in his wheelchair on the dock, Forrest jumped out of his boat and went swimming towards him.  You can watch the Forrest Gump scene HERE.

Scripture puts it this way:

Simon Peter "tucked in his garment, for he was lightly clad, and jumped into the sea."

Connecting the dots between the biblical event with Peter and Forrest Gump with Lieutenant Dan, brings us to this question:

What is my response to encountering the resurrected Jesus?

Am I ready to leave my old ways behind and jump out of the boat and rush toward Jesus?

When you watch the clip from Forrest Gump, you will notice that he had to leave his big boat in order to get to Lieutenant Dan, just like (as my husband pointed out), Peter left his boat after a miraculous catch, in order to be with our Lord.

As my husband so aptly noted, if we choose the greater good--being with our Lord--rather than staying in our boat, we will find the "greatest joy and fullness of life" imaginable.

Jesus continues calling us today. Look for him.  Follow him.  Like Peter, meet him on the shore and be fed by his holy presence.

Janet Cassidy
janetcassidy.blogspot.com

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