In the net

We have a betta fish, Jerry 2, and earlier this week I cleaned out his tank. Ashamedly, it was long overdue, it’s a chore I hate doing but I’m the only one who will so I rolled up my sleeves and got to work. I poured clean water into a vase and rinsed the net so it would be clean before trying to catch J2 with it.  To my surprise, it was relatively easy to catch him but as I lowered the net into the clean water, he started flopping around and going crazy. He hit the back of the net and kept pushing with all of his might. I tried moving the net forward, hoping he would be able to back out of it. Silly me, he’s a fish and they don’t go backwards often, at least not bettas.  He kept charging towards the back of the net, this lasted a long moment before I tried holding the net still instead of trying to pull it back over him. Sure enough, once he calmed down and looked around, Jerry was able to see an opening to get out of the net and swam into clean, clear waters. 

As I began cleaning the tank, I thought about how much I’m like Jerry 2. How many times am I swimming in something I shouldn’t be? How many times in life has God tried to pull me out of the junk and I resisted? More times than I would like to admit. Sometimes we get so settled in our surroundings, we don’t realize that it’s not always according to God’s plan. Sometimes He lovingly reaches down and tries to scoop us up and much like the transition between water then air then water is terrifying for the fish, it’s scary for us. There’s a high level of uncertainty, where are we going and how long are we going to be here? We have an advantage over the fish, we, generally speaking, won’t stop breathing during the transition, it’s not always a life and death mission, but I’m sure everyone can relate, it’s scary going through a change. 

But God’s net over us is one of love and tenderness. He sees the bigger picture. He’s there through the suffering, cradling us to safety, to cleaner waters. And maybe the waters aren’t always crystal clear and calm like the vase I put Jerry into while I cleaned his tank. Maybe the waters are cold and unfamiliar. You long for that dirty water you were once in because it was easier there. You knew what to expect. That old phrase about “knowing the devil you’re dealing with.”  

Once his tank was cleaned and the water was back up to the proper temperature, I poured Jerry back into a familiar albeit cleaner, safer place. I’m certainly not God or trying to draw that parallel here, but I’m most certainly the fish who is often fear of change and of the unknowns, but always safe in the Net.