Casting Our Nets

John 21:6

He said to them, “Cast the net on the right side of the boat, and you will find some.” So they cast it, and now they were not able to haul it in, because of the quantity of fish.

At the time that Jesus spoke the words in John 21:6, several of His disciples had been fishing “all night” (John 21:3) with nothing to show for it. Jesus is standing on the beach and had just called to them to inquire about their success. They don’t realize it is Jesus that is asking them about their catch. Still, after replying that they have no fish; they do as He suggests and cast their net on the “right-hand side of the boat”. In doing so, they end up catching such an abundance of fish that they were unable to haul in the net. Yet, even in the abundance, the net does not break.

I don’t recall where I was or whose message I was listening to recently when I heard the above verse, but the Lord immediately impressed upon me that much of the world (myself included) is often prone to a similar problem.

Like the disciples, we can go hours, days, months and sometimes even years casting our nets on the “wrong” side of our boat (aka “our life”). Instead of fish, we are trying to “catch” things like our value, our identity, our purpose. The wrong side can be anything from people who enable us in or promote unhealthy choices, secular world views, job titles, relational roles (mom, dad, daughter, spouse), etc..

On the surface many of those things don’t seem bad, but the problem with this mind-set is the reality that: jobs change, seasons of life change, and, well….as far as the enablers and world view parts, the problem with those should be pretty clear. It’s critical to recognize that none of those things can provide us with the sustenance we need to create our best lives and/or fulfill our life’s purpose. When we understand this, we realize that a net filled with those things eventually yields the same result as a net that catches nothing at all. Emptiness.

Long-term, there is only One person who can fill our every need.

God provides us with everything that is good and “right”……the right direction, the right assignments, the right opportunities, and the right people…He just simply calls us to cast our nets on the “right” side of our boat…the Living Water side; His side. It’s not complicated. But, it’s certainly not easy. We won’t be perfect at it, and He knows that. However, the more we do it; the better we will become at it.

Think on it…what area or areas of your life have you been coming up with an empty net?

If you’ve been casting it in waters that are of this world; try casting it “on the right side”. Then be ready to haul in a net that is filled with everything you need to walk the path God has planned especially for you.

Peace.