To Be A Thankful Fish

“I said to the Lord, ‘You are my Lord;
apart from you I have no good thing.’”
~Psalm 16:2 NIV

Last December I decided to set up a fish tank just to reminisce my younger years (and to quench my boredom at that time). I already had a tank so I just bought some fake plants—lots of plastic plants that covered the entire floor of the tank—and a dozen mollies and a pair of guppies. I didn’t want to buy bigger fish because I’d be forced to upgrade the size of my tank if the fish grows bigger. I thought that the little fishes would do.

Two nights after I had the tank set up, I already saw some fry (baby fishes) swimming and hiding under the plants. Today, the fry is about 2cms long!

I realized then that those fish were at my mercy. They are fully dependent on me for their food, their protection (especially the babies), the air they breathe, their clean water, etc. No wonder they are ecstatic when they see me and follow my hand around knowing that I bring them their sustenance for the day.

I am at my Creator’s mercy. I need the Lord for my daily sustenance, protection, guidance, everything. Truly, apart from Him, I have no good thing; apart from Him, I have nothing.

So if that’s the case, why do I stray? Why do I always leave the Lord and go my own way?

If I had a stubborn fish, I would have gotten rid of it a long time ago…

 

 

Thank God He’s not like me.

Getting a Good Spanking

I don’t know if it was normal for parents to “not spare the rod” on their children and at same time saying “I love you.” When I was a kid, after getting a good spanking or being locked in a room or locked out of the house, my parents would assure me over and over that they loved me. I thank my parents for this. At a young age, I already understood that discipline is an expression of love especially in a parent-child relationship.

My parents did love me so much that they will rather see me hurt for a short time rather than see me grow up in a future of misery because of the consequences of my wrong actions.

Today, God reminded me of such fatherly/parental love. In Proverbs 3:11-12 NASB, it says,

“My son, do not reject the discipline of the LORD
Or loathe His reproof,
For whom the LORD loves He reproves,
Even as a father corrects the son in whom he delights.”

I still make mistakes. I am still a “bad” boy at times. But I thank God whenever I know I am being disciplined because it is thru this that I am assured that I am His child and that He loves me so much that He wants me to be better than I am today. Not that I am excited when the Lord disciplines me.

How does God do it? How does He discipline? Various ways I guess. I don’t know. But in my case now, God showed me how my actions affects my wellbeing. Sometimes I have to get sick and be in bed for a long time enough for me to stare at the ceiling and begin to look up to God again. That being said, it reminded me of this verse I read the other day:

“Do not be wise in your own eyes;
fear the LORD and shun evil.
This will bring health to your body
and nourishment to your bones.”
~Proverbs 3:7-8 NIV