I fished for days
and months
and years
in deep waters
in shallow waters
at night
in the morning
and
when the sun hung high.
I fished in the rain
and when the seas fought back
crashing into my boat
filling it with the heaviness of salt and grime and discarded trash
topping it all off with the empty foam of angry waves.
Oh, how I nearly sunk
so many times 
into the darkness 
of endless waters
that promised peace
but only provided
isolation 
loneliness
and 
hopelessness.

...until that day
when You came along 
and stepped into my boat,
graciously offering to take over
if only I would be willing
to leave the helm 
and go rest on the sandy shores
where You provided a refuge
of ocean breezes 
warm sunshine
cool, refreshing water to drink
and friends to hold my hands;
and because I was so tired 
and beaten down inside
I accepted Your offer,
even without hope in my heart,
just because it was You. 

…and now
I look upon what You have done
and see my boat filled to the brim
with fish – 
and You
standing at its edge
Your hand offered in strength 
to help me climb back on – 
and I know I need to trust You 
again
just because it is You. 

*With thanks to Simon Peter’s faith in Jesus’s Word (see Luke 5:5)