I Feel Like That Fish

As I watched the sunrise this morning, I saw a fish jump. 

The fish jumped high, gliding through the air in a graceful ark, before it plunged back into the water. 

I thought, “right now, I feel like that fish.”

I’ve been swimming in turbulent salt water. Although the water is the place where I have everything I need to survive, it can feel dark, cold, rough and scary as the waves push me around. Right now I’ve jumped. I am soaring in the air glimpsing the world, seeing family, enjoying comforts. I am flying high and smooth. I don’t want to leave this place.

Like the fish this is not my home. The fish must return to the water. It may be cold, dark and turbulent, but that is where the fish can breath. The water is where the fish was created to live and like it or not that is where God put it. God has given the fish everything it needs for life, everything it needs to do what it is created to do in the water of the huge ocean. The fish may love jumping out of the water, looking around, and soaring through the air, but it will never thrive outside where God has put it. The fish cannot breathe out of water. 

So it is for me.

God has put me in Guatemala to serve Him, love Him, share His love, and the gospel. It is often dark, cold, rough, and scary. But God has given me everything I need to thrive there. 

It’s so nice to jump out of the water for a brief moment to be refreshed and reminded of my purpose, of who I am, to find a break from the turbulence. But like the fish I cannot survive forever here, on vacation. (though I do love it so much) It is a gift of encouragement. After a time, I must plunge back into the water and trust God has given me everything I need to thrive there. I will keep swimming with vigor. God is with me. He loves me. He knows where He has put me and it is good.

-Rachel Pouchot