We found the goldfish lying on the floor. It would soon teach us a lesson in perseverance.
My little boy was upset, seeing his fish’s gills slightly moving. We had yet to learn how the fish got into the middle of the room or how long he had lain there. Our son received the fish as a gift from his teacher. My heart sank.
I gingerly picked it up and put it back in its fish tank, but the fish floated on its side. I watched my son poke it down in the water, only to watch it resurface. The fish looked hopeless.
Looking back over my life, I remember daunting times. Valleys of great pain and sorrow came in waves. From losing my parents to losing my best friend, from my husband’s job loss to almost losing our home, from children squabbles to outright family division. These times made me feel like a fish out of water.
The latest blow, however, was the biggest. Most of my worth came from raising my five children to adulthood and seeing them have a relationship with Christ. So, when one of my sons told me I was just an adequate parent, my heart sank to an all-time low. None of my other children agreed with that assessment, but I couldn’t shake the deflation.
I questioned myself. Do I leave this world knowing I was only adequate? I’m old. I can’t start over. My body is failing and my energy depleting. Do I give up all hope?
Then I thought of Christ, who never gives up on us. I also thought of the apostle Paul, who endured much but never gave up.
Although my son’s blow knocked me down, I’m not out for the count. I’m still in this race, so I must be patient and pray, asking God to forgive my inadequacies and renew my spiritual strength.
The fish is long gone, but incredibly, the fish shed all its scales and survived for many more years.
We, too, can persevere when we keep our eyes on Christ.
How can you keep on keeping on, despite life’s troubles?
(Photo courtesy of pixabay and symphonyoflove.)
(For more devotions, visit Christian Devotions.)
Jenny Calvert has been married to her husband John for fifty years. They have five children and twelve grandchildren. She has been a musician in churches for many years. Now that the children are grown and she has retired as a church musician, she has rekindled her love for writing. Jenny has had devotionals published in The Upper Room. She also was accepted as a contributing writer for the website, www.dailyprayer.us, under the link Daily Inspiration. She also writes a blog at www.libertyladiesdevotional.blogspot.com Jenny has been published in Susan Cheeves King’s Short and Sweet Family Album, Short and Sweet Goes Fourth, Short and Sweet Takes the Fifth, Humili8ing, and Angels in Disguise.