[394 words]
Once upon a time there was a young fish that heard other fishes taking about the sea. One day he thought, “I will go and find the sea.” So he set forth to find the sea. He searched for a long time but could not find it. Then he met another fish, and asked, “can you tell me where I may find the sea?” And the fish said, “no, I have often wished to see it, for I have heard much about it, but I do not know where to look.” The young fish met another fish, an old and wise fish, and asked, “Can you tell me where I may find the sea?” The old fish said, “Why, this is the sea, you are swimming in the sea, you have been in it the whole time.”
One of the greatest problems in the world today is failing to find God. Even in America, in this great land of Bibles, the true God is unknown to many. This is not to say that they have not heard about Him, but rather to them He is merely a character out of an old book – far, far, away. They retain God in their minds as only knowledge, but are personally far from Him.
How about you, do you KNOW God? Like the fish, people are looking far away from the sea. David is called “a man after my own heart” (Acts 13:22). How did he get this title? From a youth, he knew that God was near him. Whether at home, in the fields as a shepherd, or seated on the throne as King of Israel; God was by his side. In one of the Psalms he wrote: “If I take the wings of the morning, And dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, Even there Your hand shall lead me, And Your right hand shall hold me” (Psalm 139:9-10). With this type of closeness, David could proclaim this helpful Psalm: “The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want” (Psalm 23:1). We need to learn to be like David and not like the fish who was looking for the sea. God exist, God is true, and God cares for His creation. God gave man the blessing of life: a soul. May we all be looking toward eternity and preparing our souls.
Findlay church of Christ
Sparta, TN