Jimmy was a fisherman, the son of a fisherman and the product of a culture built on fishing. Fishing was all he knew and he was good at it. The only trouble was that Jimmy had a problem he couldn't overcome.
Jimmy struggled with seasickness that incapacitated him. He'd tried over-the-counter medications, doctor-prescribed medications, "guaranteed to counteract seasickness" copper bracelets and copious amounts of prayer. Nothing seemed to work and while others reeled in their nets, bursting with their harvest, Jimmy hung over the side of his boat, retching. What was a fisherman to do?
For Jimmy there was just one answer: quit trying to fish. He made the inevitable decision to mend his nets, unload his gear and dock his boat for the last time. That phase of his life was over. What now? With a wife and two children to support, his only source of employment came to an end at the same time his seasickness was stopped.
I - or you - may never face the challenge of heaving innards in the workplace but we all face seemingly insurmountable challenges. Just walking away from a situation or quitting a job may not be possible or wise but like Jimmy, God knows how to open new doors when old ones slam shut.
You see, Jimmy also loved gardening and he knew that nothing makes gardens produce like the application of fish fertilizer. Jimmy built a huge silo, made arrangements with the local fish plant to purchase tanker-truck loads of fish guts, and he turned the innards into premium plant food. Last I saw Jimmy, his acreage had become a huge commercial cucumber and tomato production site.
"I will instruct thee and teach thee in the way which thou shalt go: I will guide thee with mine eye." Psalm
Whatever challenges we face, God has answers!
