Photo Prayer 2020-49 -- Me And The Fish

The fish looks up at me and I look down at it, but I doubt that it looks up to me as any kind of role model, and I certainly do not look down my nose at it. If anything, I admire wild things. No clothes, no possessions, nothing put away, accepting whatever nature gives them, wholly reliant on chance or, I say, mercy and grace. We, too, are wholly reliant on you, Lord, but our dependence is often obscured by the many other things we rely on — family, community, civilization, and the ten thousand things we own. What shall we do? Throw it all to one side and live hand to mouth, never knowing what our next meal will be or where we might sleep? Would that make us more aware of your mercy and grace? No — we hold onto things and people, yet we pray anyway for that awareness — that life is tentative and precious, a blessing granted moment by moment.

Photo of fish in Lake Mead, Nevada.
Photo copyright 2015; text, 2020, by Danny N. Schweers.

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Comments

Pamela wrote:
Love it!

Cookie wrote:
Beautiful

Nina wrote:
Beautiful, Danny. I envy you your faith.

Hugh wrote:
Thank you, St Francis.

Katey wrote:
Thank you.

Bernadette wrote:
Totally Agree!! This is wonderful, Thank you!!

Rob wrote:
I'll be reading these a lot more carefully now [that I have written one]! I really like this one. When you ask/answer these questions: What shall we do? Throw it all to one side and live hand to mouth, never knowing what our next meal will be or where we might sleep? Would that make us more aware of your mercy and grace? Are you saying NO we don't/can't do it or NO we shouldn't? Or something else? No — we hold onto things and people, yet we pray anyway for that awareness — that life is tentative and precious, a blessing granted moment by moment.

Denison wrote:
Wonderful fish photo, accompanied by an inspirational prayer. Thank you.

Ernestine wrote:
Bishop Curry's recent sermon in Texas related to the same issue you raised that small creatures neither need clothes, money, etc. But the God of creation takes care of them. We do need to sit quietly and reflect on all God's blessings that we receive. Thanks Danny for your reflections. Peace.

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