While staying in a hotel last month, I came across this picture hanging on in the hallway outside my room. I know the quality isn’t very good, but can you see the scene depicted? It’s a fishing boat, and the men are hauling in their nets, which are bulging with fish. Every time I walked by that picture, I thought of the incident recorded in John 21.

Peter and several of the other disciples had witnessed Jesus’s death. They had seen proof of his resurrection when he appeared in their midst while they were hiding from the Jews who’d crucified. They’d seen him again when he proved his identity to Thomas. So what did Peter decide to do after seeing proof of the astounding resurrection of Jesus? He went fishing.

Before you say, “Yeah, when things get tense around the house, my husband goes fishing too.” I don’t think that was Peter’s goal. Remember, he wasn’t a recreational fisherman. He fished for a living. And Jesus had called him away from the life of a fisherman. I think Peter was so overwhelmed that he was running scared. He regressed to an activity and a lifestyle that had been reliable for him in the past.

I understand that. Lots of times I’ve wanted to do the same. When my writing career isn’t going well, I have a tendency to think, “Maybe I ought to stop writing and go back into the corporate workforce. I wonder if my old boss would hire me back.” But you know what? That’s not the place for me anymore. I’ve been given a new job. And I have a feeling if the Lord ever decides it’s time for me to stop writing, He won’t send me back into a corporate job. He’ll have something totally different for me to do. He has called me away from that life, just like he called Peter away from the life of a fisherman.

Now, what happens next in the story…well, this blog is getting a little long. I think I’ll break here and continue tomorrow. Stay tuned!