The Fish Peddler
I have many figurines and ornaments in my garden. Some are heirlooms from relatives; others I have found along the way at yard sales or even dug out of the trash. But there is one that I purchased new this past spring. It is called "The Fish Peddler." Despite the undeniable "cuteness," there is a deeper meaning of this little cement girl for me. As a child growing up, my mother tied a scarf on my head every time I wanted to go outside. She was always afraid that I would get an earache if I did not faithfully wear that annoying scarf. Whether or not her scarf theory was correct is debatable. But, I will say that I rarely had an earache. Both of my parents have passed now, and the family farm has been sold. Today that little cement girl is a precious reminder of my childhood and the loving family I had the privilege to be apart of.
"But Lot's wife looked back as she was following behind him, and she turned into a pillar of salt."
Genesis 19:26
For me, there is a deeper meaning of this statue as well. Years ago, my husband and I went through a dark time in our lives. Our hearts turned stone cold and bitter. We were working for a well-known ministry and ministering to hundreds of people every week. However, we neglected one thing. We failed to have our own personal time with God. We were at church literally seven days a week.
In reality, we were doing "God's work" in our own strength. Eventually, my husband resigned from his position, and we totally unplugged from the church. Years of despair, depression, financial ruin, and significant health problems followed. It was when we finally reached rock bottom that we looked up and cried out to God. My husband returned to the ministry, and restoration began. The one thing that remained was an overwhelming sense of guilt and regret that haunted me daily. Our years of bad decisions had a sizable financial impact on our oldest son, who had just graduated high school. Seeing the struggle he had to go through tore my insides out. No matter what your children's age, we want to fix things for them as a parent. My heartache was that not only could I not fix his problems, but we were the primary cause of them in the first place.
"Train up a child in the way he should go, And when he is old, he will not depart from it."
Proverbs 22:6
Fortunately, there was something positive that we had done for our son. We taught him God's Word. One day as I lay face down sobbing on the living room floor, the Lord spoke to me. He said, "I love him more than you do."
Then He reminded me of Matthew chapter 7: "As bad as you are, you still know how to give good gifts to your children. But your heavenly Father is even more ready to give good things to people who ask." (Matt.7:11, CEV)
I began a new journey that day. It was a journey of healing, a journey of forgiveness. I knew that I had to forgive myself. Our son told me time and time again, "Mom, it's ok. I'm good with it. When everything is said and done, I will be a better man for all that I have gone through." Yet, despite his remarkable statement of faith, I had a long road back.
My son now owns his own successful construction company in Tulsa, Ok. He is a businessman, entrepreneur, and amazingly wise in the Word of God.
As Jesus followers, we are told to be "fishers of men" (Matt.4:19.) We cannot impact the world around us if we do not see beyond the face in the mirror. I have learned many things in my life. The biggest lesson of all is that we can not move forward if we are continually looking back. I don't know what you have been through in your lives, my friends. But I do know that this a new day. There may be chapters in your life you wish you could rewrite just like I do. But those chapters are behind us. Let's learn from them and, with God's help, begin to write an excellent finish in this journey we call our lives.
"Instead of your [former] shame, you will have a [a]double portion; And instead of humiliation, your people will shout for joy over their portion. Therefore in their land, they will possess double [what they had forfeited]; Everlasting joy will be theirs." Isaiah 61:7 (AMP)