new church life: september/october 2014
presence is more obvious. We know intellectually
that He’s always present, but we don’t feel it in
hard times. He asks, “Children, have you any
food?” Such an important question: Is your life
working for you as it is? Is it feeding your spirit?
Until we can really and truly say no, we can’t
change. In fact, until then we are likely to resent
suggestions for change.
When they say no, He then tells them
to cast the net on the right side of the boat.
Now obviously the fish were not all swimming
on one side of the boat. The Lord gave this
command purely for its symbolic value. In New
Church teaching, the right symbolizes coming
from goodness and the left coming from truth.
(Arcana Coelestia 10061) You can think of
left-brain linear logic and right-brain intuitive
whole-person thinking, if that helps, but it’s
deeper than that.
For us, fishing on the right side means
doing something from affection, doing it from
love, not doing it merely because it is the right
thing to do. It means reaching out to people
because we want to help them, rather than out
of a sense of duty.
There’s a lot to be said for doing things
because they need doing. The saying, “Fake it till you make it,” is very powerful
and important. It keeps us alive in hard times. And in fact, that willingness
to compel ourselves is what allows the Lord to change us from selfish into
spiritual human beings. But that’s not the focus for today. That is not what
reconnects us with the Lord. We may be doing the right thing when we compel
ourselves, just as Peter was doing the right thing when he fished all night, but
it’s not feeding our spirit by offering us a vision of and connection with our
heavenly Father.
What does it look like to fish on the right side? I think it means focusing
on process over content. Think of wanting to help someone: a child struggling
with a problem, a friend fighting depression, someone whose marriage is in
trouble, a friend who has lost a spouse or loved one. Helping someone on
content is making sure he or she does it right – sort out the marriage, solve
the problem, overcome depression, deal with the grief appropriately – and
specifically sort it out the way you’d want that person to. By contrast, when
The wonderful
thing about this
story is how
dramatically it
works. When
we really pay
attention to
people, when we
show them that
they matter to us,
we find that we
can help change
lives. And like
Peter, suddenly we
recognize the Lord
in the picture.
424