Fin

We currently have no living plants or fish in our home, though we have had both in our home from time to time…they both tend to fair poorly.  I take the blame entirely upon myself

I have shared about my murderous brown thumb in the past.  If the plant is green, I will turn it brown.  The saving grace to any of my plantitary (intentionally made up word, in which I claim all credit to its eventual inclusion into Webster’s fine work…of boosting children’s height at the dinner table) successes is when I can place the trees, shrubs or flowering bulbs into the ground and let God take care of the rest.  I remember in college when my mother gave me a “Devil’s Ivy,” an ironic name for a Bible College student, as a gift.  As she delivered the item to me, she instructed me in the proper care for the plant saying, “It is really hearty…it will liven up the apartment...and it is durable…if it doesn’t get the care that it needs it will likely still survive…it is really hard to kill.”

I killed it.

Sadly, pets have been another victim.  When our third child was born, I bought 5 goldfish…one for each member of the family.  Each family member named their own personal fish.  All 5 are dead, and have been so, since the first few months of purchase. 

Over this past year, it looked as if my luck might change! Last March, our oldest daughter “won” a goldfish. My first thought, as I set my eyes on the small innocent beast, was, “You poor thing.” We cared for the fish about as well as we have cared for any plant or fish in our home, changing its water every so often and feeding it when we would think of it.  I must give credit to this little aquatic creature, because he appeared to be more resilient than even my Devil’s Ivy.

Some mornings, I would awake to find the fish floating belly up! The next morning, I found him swimming around like he was as healthy as can be! Seriously!

If ever I have encountered an “overcomer”...this fish…was it.  Yet sadly, this overcoming and enduring fish, Fin was his name, has gone to be with everything else that goes down the toilet.  His endurance finally ran out, and he gave up trying about a week ago. 

But Jesus didn’t.  Jesus is THE Overcomer, and He calls us to overcome with Him.  In Revelation 3:7-22, we find Christ speaking to the final two of the seven churches of Revelation.  He gives the same encouragement to these two, which he has to the previous five.  Endure! Overome! I don’t know what you encounter and struggle with from week to week…but there are times when I feel that I am just done….flush me down the toilet and end my misery.  I can’t do it anymore.  Jesus knows that I can’t do it anymore.  That is why HE did it…and now He invites me to fellowship with Him so that I can overcome, endure, hang-on…because He is my strength.  Without Christ, we cannot overcome.  With Christ, we WILL overcome.