Starting Over
After the seven disciples had been out fishing all night, Jesus calls to them from the shore, “Children, do you have any fish?”
Their reply revealed a degree of frustration at the futility of their efforts. “No.”
If you are a student of the Scriptures, you might have noticed the similarities between John 21 and Luke 5. In both instances, some of these men had fished all night and caught nothing. In both instances, Jesus asked them about their success or failure. In both instances, Jesus instructed them on where to cast their nets so that they might catch fish. And in both instances, a miraculous catch of fish ensued.
This, you might have guessed, is no coincidence.
Jesus is, in a sense, preaching a sermon to his disciples. He doesn’t have to say what the point is. It is obvious. He is experientially taking them back to the morning they left it all behind to follow Him. He is calling them back because they had gone back to where they started.
This was a do-over moment. They were starting from scratch. Kind of. These disciples had regressed to point A, but because of their long experience with Christ, they could skip a lot of steps in between to return to where they left off.
It stinks to backslide. It is spiritually frustrating to find ourselves back where we started and feel like we are starting all over. But there is encouragement in this story for us. First, we can be encouraged that Christ keeps showing up and calling us again. As Paul said, the gifts and calling of God are without repentance. And then, it is important to realize that while we may have to retrace some of our steps to get back to where we were before we went back to where we are, we will be able to take some giant steps. Baby steps won’t be required.
You haven’t lost all that you gained before. The wisdom, knowledge, experience, and maturity you had previously gained in your walk with Christ haven’t all left you. It’s still there.
So, repent and return. You’ll get back to where you should be faster than you might think.
