James and John, the sons of Zebedee, were fishing in the dark. I'm uncertain as to why Zebedee taught his sons that night is a good time to fish on the Dead Sea but he did. Maybe that's why it's called the Dead Sea ... too many fathers taught their sons to fish at night in old time Galilee and a lot of them drowned.
Who knows?
Regardless James and John sit in their little dingy throughout the night casting their on the right side ... because ... they were right-handed. I don't know. But they did it all night long and as the sun came up a stranger was standing on the shore staring at them.
He looked at them.
They looked at him.
"Hey," the stranger yelled. "Cast your nets on the other side of the boat and you'll catch fish."
They looked at one another and muttered under their breaths. "Who is this ass telling us how to fish?"
So to humor him, or to humor themselves or because they sure as hell hadn't caught any fish on the right side of the boat ... they threw their nets on left side and immediately caught fish. And that is how James and John, the sons of Zebedee, became Apostles.
There are a lot of plausible explanations to what actually happened. My favorite comes from my friend Johnny O. It was dark. They didn't know where their nets were landing when they cast them. As the sun came up the stranger stated the obvious. "Hey you idiots. When you cast to the right you're throwing in the sand on the beach! The waters on the other side!"
That's probably closer to the truth than all of the "historical" interpretations.
The point is that things are not always what they seem.
I'm in the middle of the happiest and most content times in my life. I've had my fair share of right sided experiences in life ... especially lately. It's good to be back on the left side of life when I'm in the sun and no longer fishing in the dark.
Work is fascinating and good. Tybee Island is corporate headquarters. I find myself all over the country on an almost weekly basis. Our house is delightful and becomes more so with every passing week. The carnival of friends grows tighter and the celebrations of summer are extending into the fall.
"I'm finding my way back to sanity again though I don't really know what I'm gonna do when I get there," goes a song that I love. "Take a breath and hold on tight, spin around one more time and gracefully fall back into the arms of grace."
Yesterday driving back from Athens, after a most excellent weekend, where we danced, ate, played ... and watched our team lose ... everything was good. I was with the people I love most. The car was quiet. The only sound was that of breathing ... and that was enough. It was plenty to let me know that I am confident in my future and happy with where I am going. I was surrounded by joy and contentment.
A few weeks ago I was having a conversation with friends. "I am much more interested in the truths behind the words," I argued. They were much more interested in the words that were used and whether or not they came true.
And there is a a lot of truth in that. But I believe the bigger truths are behind the words. "It's what you do and not what you say," is how Jesus put it once.
So yesterday on a four hour drive with random music in the background and country scenery, the truth is that we were together in a car. Words were not especially necessary. The truth was the behind the words. Just the togetherness of love. And the confidence in the future.
