It seems more often than not that we find ourselves
in the boat
in the middle of the same damn sea
trying our hardest to do what we’ve done a thousand times before.
We try even harder on the heels of failure
or even on the heels of victory.
And sometimes, like Peter, we try when we can’t tell
at all what we are on the heels of.
And still, all night long, we do what we know to do
and we try what has always worked
and we finally throw it all down, take off our clothes, and try to get some rest
because the work itself is almost unbearable.
It’s then, of course, that we hear Your voice:
Do it one more time.
Do it just like this.
Do it.
Do it.
Do it.
And so, after someone whispers in our ear
that they think it’s Your voice,
we do it one more time,
just like this,
we do it.
And the nets almost burst,
but they don’t.
We bring it all in.
And we don’t know why or how,
but we come to trust
that after a long night of
hard work and nothing to show for it,
you speak
and the nets nearly burst.
Give us the strength to keep listening
and to keep fishing
after long nights of nothing.
Amen.
djordan
Pine Tree Dr.
RELATED POSTS | On John 21 | In the Meantime: On John 11 | When it’s too late: John 11
most hopeful 