Fishing was not a pastime for me. It was a way of life when I was a lot younger. Back in the day, being a fisherman was what I aspired to be, growing up on a tiny coral atoll.
The encounter with a big fish was special. If you can haul in that big catch, then you have a story to tell about the fish that never got away! But there were the occasional days that you would want to forget. It just got away! No story to tell . . . maybe not quite a fisherman!
I’ve wondered what was going on in Peter’s mind when he declared, “I am going fishing” (John 21:3). After all, fishing was a way of life for him, until Someone came and called out, “Follow me, I will make you fishers of men” (Matthew 4:19).
That was more than three years prior to this point in time, and yet here he is, turning back to his former occupation.
His brother disciples declared, “We are going with you also” (John 21:3).
Well, that makes it seven of us, a majority, Peter must have thought.
Although, he never called out, “follow me”, the others decided to follow him. And “They went out and immediately got into the boat” (John 21:3). The rest of the story, you know.
There was no catch that night but there was a big haul in the morning! Big fish only and counting . . . what a catch! What a story! And all because Someone said, “cast the net on the right side of the boat, and you will find some” (John 21:6).
As followers of Jesus, we may have moments or situations that stop us in our tracks. We are left with no strength or a fear for the future ahead of us. There will be misjudgement and indecision.
When a disappointment becomes a distraction, you may be wondering, What is it like to be back in the boat again? Maybe the boat is the church!
The good news is that Someone is watching and longing to meet us in the morning to “throw the net to the right side of the boat”. Maybe . . . just maybe . . . we maybe fishing on the wrong side of the boat.
