Here We Go Again…

I am focusing all my energies on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead,
I strain to reach the end of the race and receive the prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us up to heaven…Phil 3:13-14

Here We Go Again: There is a very fine line between persistence and stubbornness.


It’s almost as thin as the hair that splits honesty from rudeness or bravery from plain stupidity. Who can really tell the difference anyway until time and hindsight have their say? If we can’t determine the value of our efforts ourselves, we can always ask our favourite go-to advisors: #, £, €, $ and %. And they never lie do they?

So how can we know if we’ve encountered something worth doing?

I recently discovered some very interesting facts about my favourite pink fish of river and sea: the Atlantic Salmon. Various cultures worldwide have deemed salmon the King of Fish for similar reasons. To start, they actually transform their guts from the inside out in order to go from fresh water beginnings and out into the dark salty sea. It’s as impossibly miraculous as us moving to Mars and only needing a warmer coat.

Once out in the wild blue yonder they strategically store enough fat and muscle to prepare for one of the greatest journeys known to any creature: the long wet ride home. When a salmon even gets a faint sniff of the familiar fresh water from which they came, it triggers a simple decision that will determine their inevitable fate: to go home is to die.

They immediately stop eating and focus all their strength and energy on this one thing. It’s such a drastic shift that their immune system shuts down in order to conserve enough energy. This alone leaves them vulnerable to wounds and disease. This really comes to play when their soft bodies slam against the sharp rocks while confronting powerful rushing waters fueled by tons of melting snow. And if that’s not enough, did I mention the bears?

After all is said and done, the brave and bruised few who make it to the top then have have to battle for their lady fayre or fight off any sleazy manfish; all so they can have one first and last romantic encounter before rolling over to die. What a life.

As the quickly decomposing bodies of these new parents fill the still waters, it provides all the essential nutrients needed for the newly formed eggs to hatch and grow so they too can go out and do it all over again. Please pardon the pun here, but did you catch* anything?

Jesus had to die to provide us what we need to live on and on and on and on…

Thankfully there was no need for bodily decay. Instead he gave us eternal Words and his Spirit to hear and live them out. But we are sincerely stupid if we think that following in his footsteps requires no amount of salmon-like qualities. Some may call you stubborn and rude, while others may simply ask to see some concrete proof that you just can’t show. And then there are the bears who just want to take a bite out of you—just because they’re hungry.

So take encouragement from the King of Fish today. Bears may think they are just stupid (and sweet) creatures, but I for one am amazed.

Since the day I decided to swim home to the Lord, I cannot complain in the least. I’ve slammed against some rocks, taken a few bites on the bum, but I have found some amazing friends to swim with on both sides of a very big pond. Many of you are reading this now.

Most of all, I know at the top of this great journey home, there is much more than certain death. There’s is a river of life the never ends…

Just Keep Swimming,
Brandon and Pamela Muñoz
WWW.FREEDOMHOUSE.ORG.UK

*The Gospel is written in many other places besides the Bible. All we need our eyes to see the seeds