Be one of the few who enter the kingdom of God through the narrow door (Matthew 7:14 King Jimmy Translation).
Swim Against the Flow
Some of God’s most interesting creatures live in the sea. From those that swim in the shallow surf to those dwelling several hundred feet beneath, these creatures are amazing in their habitat.
We’re blessed to live near a world-class aquarium, Sea Life Aquarium in Grapevine, Texas. Your humble Aggie scribe took his granddaughter Kennedy and one of her friends, Faith, on a sea life adventure to escape a scorching July afternoon.
While we wandered through the air conditioned maze of sea creatures, I became a practicing ichthyologist. (No, that is not a cult in which the members continually scratch one another. An ichthyologist studies fish.) Every exhibit featured fish of every color, hue, and design imaginable, showing off our Creator’s creativity.
The shark tank featured several black-tip sharks, angel sharks, and blue sharks, each swimming casually alongside sting rays, manta rays, and electric rays.
We waltzed through the glass-enclosed Ocean Tunnel. These predators of the deep surrounded us once we entered their abode. A dangerous Moray Eel lay deadly still, camouflaged in the shadows in the rocks. In the wild, this eel ambushes unwary creatures that swim too close. A sign in the tunnel said the most dangerous shark in the world, the loan shark, was currently on loan to the Clinton Foundation.
I observed one species of flat, oval-shaped, dark-brown fish, about six to eight inches in length. Their long, stringy whiskers and tentacles trailed them as they swam by. The closer I looked at these fish, the clearer it became to me. These resembled my first attempts to make pancakes.
Another exhibit contained fish with flat heads—literally. Their slender bodies looked normal until it came to their 90 ° angle flat head. Apparently, distracted while playing Pokémon Go, they swam at full-throttle and slammed head-on into the dam.
One of the most elaborate displays was a brightly-lit, circular tank, home to thousands of flag-tail fish. God blessed these little fish with red and white stripes on their tails. Their swimming imitates a multitude of tiny American flags waving. They swam from right to left in an endless circle. This is their existence for twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week.
As in all communities of beings, whether ethnic groups, religious conclaves, or societies—whatever, there are those who do not follow the crowd. This is also true of flag-tail fish.
Of the thousands of flag-tails swimming from right to left, dozens were swimming from left to right.
Kennedy, Faith, and I pressed our ears to the glass to eavesdrop on the flag tail conversations.
“What’s wrong with you? Did you flunk flag-tail school? You’re swimming the wrong way.”
“Hey, you’re a flag-tail. We don’t swim like that. Get back in line, weirdo!”
“I’m not letting my little tails anywhere near you. You’re a bad influence.”
“Swim away from those guys,” the mother flag-tail said to her little tails. “They’ve become fanatic flag tails!”
Despite bumped and shoved by others, the non-conforming fish paid no attention to the insults hurled at them. Instead, they kept swimming against the flow.
Sound familiar?
Our lord Jesus instructed those who follow him that they can only enter the kingdom of God through the narrow gate. In ancient times, a narrow door in the wall of the city was called the “needle.” This door was smaller than a standard personnel door, just large enough for one person at a time to pass through. Jesus compared the way of the world, the easy path, as the “broad road,” the “big gate” that leads to destruction (Matthew 7:13).
He indicated the world believes the false ideology there are many ways to God and all religions worship the same God. Jesus said the only way to enter into eternal life in the kingdom of God was through him, the “narrow gate.”
Following man’s rules, religious rules, is futile to gain eternal life. All these self-efforts may seem noble, and the deeds may prove worthy, but this self-righteousness is not an alternative route to eternal life. Most who trust in their self-efforts are often frustrated and worried their efforts are not enough to please God.
You know what pleases God? Trust in his Son Jesus. God made it so easy for us to come to him. Just believe in his Son Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross for our sins. That’s it! Check out John 3:16-17 for details.
Makes me wonder why more do not “swim against the flow.”
Stay close to Jesus.
Father, thank you for making a way for us to come to you through faith in your Son Jesus. May we have a holy boldness to “swim against the flow” in our world to show others your love and the Hope we have in you.
Jimmy
I suggested to the management of Sea Life Aquarium an exhibit idea that I guaranteed would make the visit one the tourist would remember, but they didn’t like the idea of a piranha petting zoo.
Jimmy Eskew © 2016
THANKFUL 
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