Codfish and Catfish

Let me tell you the story of the Cod Fish.  At the turn of the century, on the East coast, they were catching Cod like crazy, and there was a huge demand for these tasty creatures of the sea.  The word got out to the West, and they began to demand the infamous Cod.  So the distributors decided to ship them in huge crates packed with ice by rail all the way to the West.  Problem was, after the long icy trip the cod tasted "nastiferous maximus" as their flavor never arrived.  They scratched their heads and decided to ship them alive in giant tanks to the West.  Problem was, they still tasted nasty and mushy from just sitting still for so long in the tanks.  Then one man did some research and found that the Cod have an infamous rival--the Saltwater Catfish.  They would put 5 or 6 of the saltwater catfish in the tanks so they would chase the Cod around all the way to the West coast.  It worked! The Cod arrived fresh and ready to be a tasty treat.   

I am thankful for the trials the Lord allows in my tank. "Count it all joy when you encounter various trials."(James 1:2) I am so prone to being mushy and flavorless.  Lord thank you for this recession!  Up-root our false joy in material things, reveal the sentiments of complacency, open our eyes to those who are really in need, and bring us to the end of our ropes that You might receive glory.