Be a Blue Cat, Not a Flathead.

If you’ve lost all respect for me because I like to noodle, I’m sorry.  Noodling, however, is not without its object lessons.  One which I shared years ago in my first session of camp involved how we confront sin. 

Noodling, of course, is when you jump in the water, find the crevices and holes which hold big catfish, investigate the area with a stick; and if you feel a fish, stick your hand in and pull the fish out by the mouth.  This can occasionally result in a moderate amount of pain.  But, it is incredibly fun-and it is hard to beat flathead catfish¹ for taste. 

Blue cats are considered game fish, so they can not be kept when caught in this manner.  That makes them a disappointment when you find them; and once you know that you have encountered a blue cat, you generally move on quickly elsewhere.  How can you tell?  There in lies the object lesson. 

When a stick or your hand is placed in a hole, a flathead will generally take little or no action.  These fish are used to being the top of the food chain, and are not concerned.  Sometimes, a big flathead will actually open its mouth slowly to let you grab hold.  Only rarely does a big flathead act out aggressively until it is too late. 

In contrast, when a stick or your hand is placed in a hole occupied by a blue cat, regardless of the size, it will invariably attack and either rattle the stick out of your hand or the skin off your fingers².  Blue cats “lay up”³ in the holes early, and have to defend their eggs much more aggressively.  They realize their vulnerable position and confront any threat with immediate and decisive action.  Many times, if they have not yet laid their eggs, they will bolt from their holes and seek shelter elsewhere.  Therefore, they are much harder to catch, and a wise noodler⁴ will seek easier prey elsewhere.

So what about you?  Are you a flathead or a blue cat?  Do you confront sin, and if necessary flee the situation, or do you feel so confident that you allow the devil to gain a foothold?  Often it may be complacency that allows us to fall into the devil’s traps. 

So…there it is-a spiritual application of noodling. 

Notes: 

1.  Flathead must be cleaned properly, cubed, and always fried. 

2.  Cotton gloves are recommended.

3. “lay up” : to occupy a hole, generally for spawning purposes.

4.  Be nice; that’s not an oxymoron. 

Agape, or at least the best I can do,

Chris

Grasping the Shadow : Part II

On Wednesday nights, we have been discussing pornography and the dangers of sexual sin.  One of the main points we have been focusing on is that trying to attain fulfillment through physical relationships outside of marriage is a futile effort; because we are not equipped to be fulfilled unless we are married. 

Why is that?  Could it be that the marital relationship is somehow a shadow of a greater reality?  Paul has quite a lot to say about this.  In Ephesians 5, he talks about sexual sin, worshipping God, submitting to one another, husbands and wives, more sex, and then Christ and the Church. 

That Paul-he really has trouble staying focused.  Or it may be (it is!) that he is showing the connection between all of these aspects of our relationships. 

If we are to “be imitators of God”, we must realize that ALL our relationships are simply shadows (or reflections) of the relationship between Christ and the Church-between God and His people.  That does not mean that they are not important, but it means that God ultimately is at the center of every fulfilling relationship.  For sexual relationships, this is only possible within the context of a marriage. 

So does everyone have to be married?  No.  In fact Paul also addresses this in I Corinthians 7.  He asserts that the reality of fulfillment in Christ is preferable to the fulfillment in marriage; though he recognizes that because we are human, we often need both. 

So what about the unmarried person?  How do you find fulfillment that marriage offers, before marriage?  Quit chasing the shadow of physical relationships, and embrace the reality of fulfillment in Christ. Then, when opportunity arises, you will be prepared for the best of both shadow and reality. 

Agape, or at least the best I can do,

Chris

Grasping the Shadow.

For centuries, they waited.  The Messiah was coming-A leader who would restore Israel and rule in a glorious kingdom.   Then He came; and He was rejected, ridiculed, and crucified. 

Still, the Messiah came.  Israel was restored-incorporating all nations.  The Church as His kingdom reflects His glory, manifests His presence, and anticipates His return. 

That is the reality.  Christ accomplished it all. 

In Hebrews 10, the writer presents a common theme of the New Testament; that the old covenant was a shadow of the reality that has come.  This past Sunday, we looked at Moses as a shadow of Jesus.  We discussed the parallels of their lives and ministries, and the purpose each had.  Finally, we looked at the tragic reason behind the rejection of Jesus: people were unwilling to turn loose of the shadow to embrace the reality. 

What about us?  Do we embrace reality, or grasp at shadows? I think I want to ponder this for a while. 

Agape, or at least the best I can do,

Chris