February 6, 2009
We recently set up a 15 gallon aquarium that had been given to us some time ago. Once it was up and running, we started out with four “feeder goldfish”. “Feeder goldfish” are inexpensive fish introduced into the aquarium to make sure that it is a safe environment for the tropical fish with which we were planning to stock it, per the helpful advice of the lady in the pet shop. I understand that it is not a bad idea in general, but I must admit that it is probably a very good idea given my having anything to do with their miniature ecosystem. I would have hated to have inadvertently committed “ichthycide” (a word I made up to describe the murdering of hapless tropical fish).
Anyway, the day came for the tropical fish tenants to arrive. We kept the two smaller goldfish, but gave the larger ones away when it was explained to us by a helpful pet shop lady that the “bodily functions” of too many goldfish tend to make aquarium water too acidic for tropical fish.
Once all the fish were in, we watched to see what sort of “community” the fish would create for themselves as they settled into their new home. Over the next few weeks, we began to see different personalities among the little denizens of our family room aquarium. The Dalmatian fish (as my children like to refer to the black and white mottled Mollie) quickly settled into a state of being completely oblivious (so we thought) to all the other fish. He just swam around, waiting for food to magically appear on the surface of the water, and all the other fish knew to simply stay out of his way.
“Stripey”, a light brown fish with a black stripe running along the length of his side seemed to have issues… he would chase all the other fish (except the Dalmatian fish who was generally never in a mood to be chased).
The three Neons stayed close together right from the start. But later on, when we added a couple more to the group, they formed a more impressive school that seemed to intimidate Stripey enough that he mostly left them alone.
We also had an algae eater, but he didn’t last too long, I’m afraid. Perhaps there wasn’t enough algae yet in the water to sustain him. My children are convinced that I did him in when cleaning the tank (for the record, I’m still claiming innocence).
The two goldfish started out all right with their new roommates, but eventually we began to notice that Stripey would pursue them around to the point that it seemed they had no rest at all. And then one of them began to have little bits of his tail and fins disappearing we assumed that Stripey was responsible. In fact, after watching him for long moments chase the goldfish back and forth, we put the fishnet in the water and “chased” him around until he went to sulk in the sunken ship at the bottom of the tank. It gave the goldfish a reprieve for a little while at least from the incessant stalking.
But little chunks of the poor little goldfish’s tail and fins continued to disappear. Finally, we found the real culprit: the Dalmatian fish. We knew that he was the most enthusiastic of the fish when it was time to feed them and thought it cute that if we touched the surface of the water, he’d come up and “nibble” harmlessly at our finger. But what wasn’t so harmless was the little barracuda’s penchant for goldfish. We finally caught him in the act of dining on “tail of goldfish”.
In the end, we removed the goldfish entirely, although one did not survive the transition to its new home. I think my intervention was much too late to do him much good. The other one, I’m sure you’ll be happy to hear, is doing fine (so far).
Anyway, the moral of this little fish tale is that Christians have within their power the ability to foster spiritual life in others or to quell it.
Consider for a moment a man who has established his place in life, and then feels it his duty to “disciple” another. He sets to the task religiously (pun intended). Like our little striped fish, he hounds her, although she may be weak or wounded or new to the faith. Our Christian “discipler” chases down legalities in her life, spells out more and more things that she “ought” to be doing, and never permits the young or weary Believer a moment to simply “rest” in the Lord. The new or impressionable Christian is molded into the belief that Christian duty is all about doing. And so there is little or no joy in her spiritual life and no pleasure in her “relationship with God” because there is no real relationship… just a to-do list that leaves her feeling run down, worried, and stressed all the time.
Or think of a woman who thinks her spiritual life is high and lofty, but is really just entertaining an illusion buoyed up by tearing others down. Like our little Dalmatian fish, she takes a bite here and a bite there with teeth of criticism and jaws of self-righteousness. Although only a comment here and there, she nonetheless weakens the wounded or young Christian. Over time it leaves him vulnerable to the “sharks” that inevitably come passing though his life. “Sharks” of temptation, depression, or fear can come into any of our lives, and we become easy prey when our “fins” of reliance on God’s Spirit have been stripped from us.
But before we conclude that Church really isn’t the fish tank that we want to be swimming in, learn a little lesson from the Neon Tetras. They band together and when the big baddies come their way, they simply stay together while the aquatic ne’er-do-wells move on.
Fish obviously aren’t the best metaphors for Christian community, but there is a lesson to be learned about “sticking together” and about what kind of fish we definitely don’t want to be. Instead of “hounding” one another to the point of exhaustion or taking bites out of others with careless or critical words, “let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another – and all the more as you see the Day approaching” (Hebrews 10:24-25 NIV).
The Church, as God intends it, can be the place we most perfectly experience the presence of God, most profoundly hear the voice of the Lord, and most deeply feel the healing and comforting touch of His hand. Let us set our hearts on genuine Christian fellowship, commit ourselves to becoming the best part of Christian community that we can be, and give ourselves unreservedly to God’s control as He makes our lives a channel of blessing through which He blesses His children.
(Thom Mollohan and his family have ministered in southern Ohio the past thirteen years and is the author of The Fairy Tale Parables: Classic Fairy Tales Pointing to God's Love and Truth. He is the pastor of Pathway Community Church and may be reached for comments or questions by email at pastorthom@pathwaygallipolis.com).
