The Other Side of the Boat

It had been a long night and the seven men in the small boat were exhausted.  It was time to row back to shore and clean their empty nets.  They were already discouraged from the events of the last week.  They had all followed this new rabbi, Jesus of Nazareth, for three years and then the whole thing had been a bust -- the Romans had crucified Jesus and the brave among them had watched him die.  The last three years were a waste, so it seemed, so they were back to fishing for their livelihood, and now it looked like that wasn't going to work either. Bummer!

A voice came to them from on shore, a hundred yards away.  "So you got skunked, huh?  Try throwing your nets off the other side of the boat."  They looked at each other as if to ask, "What difference would that make? It's only a few feet!" but then they gave it one more try (fishermen do that a lot). Suddenly the net was full and it was all they could do to stay afloat with the load hanging over the side.  Eyes wide, they all realized this was no accident.  "It's the Lord [Jesus]!" said John. 

Once again Jesus showed his power -- now, after his resurrection -- to these guys who were so slow to believe.  He had called them to follow him, and he wasn't giving up on them just because they were discouraged.  He told them to try again, a little differently, and suddenly they succeeded.  Fellow disciples, it's the same today.  We can work until we're exhausted, get discouraged and think nothing is ever going to give results.  Then the Master calls out, telling us to try again, to try something just a little different than our 'proven methods.'  Our first challenge is always hearing him when we're 'busy working'.  Then there's the challenge of being discouraged -- thinking that, surely, trying again isn't worth the effort.  But the Master calls us to follow, not argue.

The question is, for each of us, what is 'the other side of the boat?'  Perhaps it's a different approach to a relationship; taking the painful steps to learn budgeting and money management; forgiving someone (again!); walking the few steps and daring to open up to a co-worker or neighbor about your faith in Jesus; or something else equally difficult, that Jesus is asking us to do. 

The disciples received a boatload of fish.  What is Jesus wanting to bless you and me with, if we will follow?