Cast Your Nets on the Other Side
Faith + Effort
Jesus appeared again to the disciples, this time at the Tiberias Sea (the Sea of Galilee). This is how he did it: Simon Peter, Thomas (nicknamed “Twin”), Nathanael from Cana in Galilee, the brothers Zebedee, and two other disciples were together. Simon Peter announced, “I’m going fishing.”
The rest of them replied, “We’re going with you.” They went out and got in the boat. They caught nothing that night. When the sun came up, Jesus was standing on the beach, but they didn’t recognize him.
Jesus spoke to them: “Good morning! Did you catch anything for breakfast?”
They answered, “No.”
He said, “Throw the net off the right side of the boat and see what happens.”
They did what he said. All of a sudden there were so many fish in it, they weren’t strong enough to pull it in.
— John 21:1–6 (The Message)
Living a life of faith feels like fishing. You cast the line, throw out the nets, but you can’t control what you catch. It is wearisome when our best efforts do not lead to the outcome we are hoping for.
I know what it feels like to be one of the disciples on the boat. Out on the water, trying time and time again, but all efforts come back void. It’s frustrating and tiring. It is at this point where I often begin doubting myself, doubting God, doubting just about everything.
I felt like this five years ago. I was newly-married, jobless, and living with my parents. A big career opportunity in China fell through, and I was starting from square one in a new city where I knew no one. I must have applied to thousands of jobs, went to dozens of interviews, but never received an offer. I was humbled and ashamed and felt childish. I wanted so badly to be the “provider” for me and my new wife, but all my effort and all my wanting didn’t do much. I became hopeless.
I came to the end of myself and it was in this place where my faith grew. I gave up my need to control the outcomes. I surrendered my need to be the perfect provider. I chose instead to see God as my provider, and I accepted a place of dependency. Although nothing changed in my circumstances, a sense of ease and rest and possibility came over me.
It wasn’t long after this soul-shift that I became aware of new approaches to the job hunt that I hadn’t tried before. Seattle was full of staffing agencies that specialized in matching college grads with established tech companies for contract positions. I connected with a recruiter at a staffing agency, they took the time to get to know me and understand my strengths and goals. 5 phone calls, 3 interviews and 2 weeks later, I received an offer from Getty Images in downtown Seattle. It was a great job, exactly what I needed to get some real experience in the tech world. The experience I gained at Getty launched me into my career in tech and I haven’t looked back since.
Faith to me is all about listening for God’s still small voice, obeying, taking action and then trusting God with the results. We often get ourselves in a tizzy when we think we can control all the outcomes in our lives. We think our effort is wasted when we try and nothing happens. Rather than getting caught up on the outcomes, a more valuable focus is on being faithfully present in the midst of our best efforts — mindful that God is moving in ways we cannot begin to comprehend. It is hard enough to do the work, we make it even harder when we doubt our own ability and question why we are not getting the results we hoped for.
How much more free we would all feel if we let go of the outcome? It may be just what we need to be aware of the possibilities we never considered before.
It’s intentional that Jesus asks the disciples to cast their nets on the other side of the boat. He’s making a clear distinction between effort and faith-filled-effort. Make no mistake, effort is always a part of the process. But how much more free and enjoyable and fruitful our effort is when paired with faith.
I cast my nets on the other side of the boat when I surrendered the outcome of my job hunt and turned to a staffing agency for help. And just like the disciples, I was awe-struck by the catch! It was more than I could have expected or dreamed of.
Are you working your ass off and not getting the results you hoped for?
Maybe it’s time to cast your nets on the other side of the boat and see what happens.
