The little boy reached across the wall dangling the line of his pole into the plastic pool. The fish floating across the top of the water displayed numbers. He didn’t know what they meant, but he knew he needed to catch a fish to win a prize. He bent his cotton top head, narrowed his ice blue eyes and angled the hook into the fish’s mouth. His baby brother stood close beside him, barely old enough to handle the pole in his hand. He slapped his hook into the water again and again giggling with each splash. Despite the distraction the hook slipped into the plastic mouth. He gently pulled the toy out of the water and over the edge of the pool. He had landed a purple fish! As a reward he was handed his prize- a clear plastic bag with a real fan tailed goldfish swimming inside a small pool of water. He had won!
With his reward in hand he followed Mommy and Daddy to the car. It was such a long walk! But the drive to Wal-Mart barely gave him enough time to study the fish. What would he name it? He would think about that later. Daddy helped him find his new fish a home-a beautiful golden castle surrounded by kelp, mermaids, and treasure chests all built upon white sparkly rocks in a glass house.
He wanted to spend time with his new friend but Mommy sent him to bed. She said his friend needed time to get used to his new home before he would be free to explore the grand castle. What an adventure!
By breakfast his friend was at home among the kelp, swimming frantically sometimes and at others staring at him through the glass, his eyes large and round, mirroring his own look of wonder.
Days passed and still he had no name. For now, he called him “fishy”. How he loved fishy. But then something horrible happened. Fishy began to get sick. He would float to his side on top of the water gasping for breath. Then he would fight to swim to his castle. The battle became too much and before long fishy was floating more than he was swimming.
Mommy cleaned his house and then did something for fishy she had done for him when he had been sick. She took her hand, hovered it just above the bowl and prayed. She prayed hard. Fishy splashed and swan too the bottom. He popped to the top. Mommy prayed again. Fishy swam again. This time a little longer. But he got so tired. He needed to rest. But Mommy wouldn’t quit praying. She saw me crying, so she prayed again. Fishy swam again, this time he was a little stronger.
When fishy got tired Mommy hugged me and carried me to bed. She lay with me for a while, praying and singing until I fell asleep.
When I woke up the next morning I ran to Fishy. He was swimming through the kelp and around the castle. Mommy smiled. She said she had an idea of what to name Fishy. We would call him Earnest. She told me “the earnest and fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.” (James 5:16) She said that meant when the people of God prayed, good stuff happened!
Earnest happened! He was a good thing and he lived with me for five more years…each day a reminder that the God of the universe and of my heart cares about me. He cares about you! He cares about goldfish too!
“What is the value of your soul to God? Could your worth be defined by an amount of money? God doesn’t abandon or forget even the small sparrow he has made. How then could he forget or abandon you? What about the seemingly minor issues of your life? Do they matter to God? Of course they do! So you never need to worry, for you are more valuable to God than anything else in this world.
Luke 12:6 ,7 TPT
Jamie Lyn's Inkwell 