Chaplain Bill Wolfe
Llano County Sheriff's Department
Hello, and welcome to the May 2008 edition of the Chaplain's Corner. My brother- and sister-in-law have moved from the Permian Basin (where they don't know what a lake is) to Comanche County; and now that JP has access to two private lakes, he's always asking me to come up and go fishing. But that's not what I want to talk about this time out.
This morning I was half listening to various church services on KSLR out of San Antonio while working radar, and one of the preachers was talking about Peter saying he was going fishing. As I was getting ready to write and thinking about Police Week and memorials, it suddenly seemed that some of those thoughts were worth sharing. (And John just ran out of the room shouting "Oh NO! He's gonna preach at us again!")
If you have your Bibles this morning J our text comes from the Gospel of John, Chapter 21 and verse 3:
Simon Peter said to them, "I am going fishing." They said to him, "We will go with you." They went out and got into the boat; and that night they caught nothing.
(That's the way my fishing trips usually turn out -- skunked.) Actually, the fishing trip in-and-of itself isn't what I want to focus on, but rather Peter's decision and what precipitated it and how it turned out. Because maybe someone you know is at a similar point in their life.
Basically, Peter was at a point of emotional overload. Let me recap what he had gone through. The last two weeks Peter had seen Jesus' triumphal entry into Jerusalem, followed by an illegal arrest and trial combined with Peter's denial of his relationship to Jesus. This was then followed by witnessing the crucifixion, a most horrible sight, and then came the Resurrection and all the guilty feelings of his betrayal were compounded. Peter had had it. All he could think was, "I'm out of here."
You know, a lot of life's tragedies can put you right there in emotional overload, especially a LODD. True, your circumstances aren't identical to Peter's, but the feelings can be similar. Feelings of "I coulda done," "I shoulda done," "Why am I still here?" "It should have been me." It just plays and plays and plays in your mind. Those thoughts can drag you down emotionally to where you decide, "Enough is enough. I'm done." Some trash the career and go do something else, like Peter. Some consider a more drastic alternative, and sadly, some take this option.
Now, I have to point out something obvious about Peter's choice. It went bust. For all intents and purposes he walked away from God. He went back to something he thought he could handle, something he thought he knew how to do. And he came up empty. That's why one shouldn't make life-changing decisions or career changes during times of emotional overload.
But Peter's story doesn't end there, and yours needn't either. God hadn't given up on Peter. God knew exactly where Peter was physically and emotionally. He knew Peter's potential even when Peter didn't. God still loved Peter in spite of everything, and He still had a plan for Peter's life. He just had to get Peter's attention again.
If we were to read further in our text in the Gospel of John, we'd see that Jesus showed up after the all-night fishing trip while the fishing party was still on the water. Standing on the shore, He asked about results. For whatever reason, Peter and the others didn't recognize Him. He told them to toss the net over the other side of the boat. (Right - how dumb is that?) I guess they figured they had nothing to lose so they did. Suddenly their fishing trip became one for the record books! Although I don't think the Gospel gives all the details of what transpired over the next couple of hours, Jesus and Peter make their peace. With God's help Peter goes on to the proverbial "bigger and better things."
What am I saying? That it's perfectly normal to get down when you're in an emotional overload situation, but don't throw everything away. You're a better person than that. Sure, your heart isn't in it right now. Maybe your confidence has been shaken, but you've still got potential. Sometimes God allows us to hit rock bottom in order to find out that He's the Rock that we can build upon.
The last verse and chorus of one of my favorite old-time gospel songs goes like this:
I may have doubts and fears, my eyes be filled with tears,
But Jesus is a friend who watches day and night;
I go to Him in prayer, He knows my ev'ry care,
And just a little talk with Jesus makes it right.
Now let us have a little talk with Jesus.
Let us tell Him all about our troubles.
He will hear our faintest cry
And He will answer by and by.
Now when you feel a little prayer wheel turning,
Then you'll know a little fire is burning.
You will find a little talk with Jesus makes it right.
I know it sounds over-simplistic, but before you give it up, try giving it to Him. You've nothing to lose and a lot to gain.
Until next time . blessings to you and yours.
Chaplain Bill
llanochaps@moment.net
