The Grace of a Goldfish

God has created many, many beautiful animals in the world, but I believe he paid special attention when He created the goldfish. The shiny, golden scales. The flowing, delicate fins. The bulgy, adorable eyeballs. This little fish may seem like a small part of the world, but for people like me, they make a big impact. For my first pet, I had a goldfish named Charlie. I remember carrying him home in the jiggly plastic bag, excited to put him into his new bowl/home and feed him his first “home delivered” meal. For a kid, a pet is a big responsibility. Even a goldfish requires some attention to cleaning it's tank and making sure it has the right amount of food. I would know...I just bought one and named her Brandolese :D It's not like I've had an attraction to goldfish my whole life, but I've had my share of the cute little guys.  Just recently, I've rekindled my fascination of them and found an interesting application in my life.

Have you ever heard that the memory span of a goldfish is only 3 seconds? Yeah, yeah, that myth was busted, but think about it! What can a goldfish really know? Does it have feeling? Does it hold grudges? Will it give you the cold shoulder when you forget to feed it one morning? In all honesty, I think goldfish are one of the most forgiving of animals. It's not like they freak out or anything...they simply...forgive and forget. For me, a very passionate person, this is incredible! Rejection is one of my biggest fears, and I have confidence that Brandolese (my goldfish) will never reject me. If I forget to feed her, she won't blow angry bubbles at me. If I'm one day late in cleaning out her tank, she won't role her buggy eyes at me. If I accidentally break her favorite piece of seaweed in the tank, she won't turn her tail fin on me and float away, annoyed.

If I have this much confidence in something as small and simple as a goldfish, why is it so hard to have this much confidence in God? Granted, there is a huge difference between God and a goldfish. First of all, He created it. Secondly, He controls the universe. Thirdly, He loves me more than Brandolese ever could. But I do think that God can use the goldfish to get a hold of strange people like me :P If I think a goldfish is gracious and forgiving of my mistakes, think of how much more God is! I've always struggled with the thought that God is a mean, old man in the sky, looking down at me with His arms crossed, just waiting to punish me when I slip up and make a mistake. In reality, God is just as gracious as a goldfish, and a million times more!

It seems silly...comparing God to a goldfish, but it makes sense, doesn't it? When an artist creates something, there is usually something in the work of art that points to who made it...a little distinction. Since God is the artist of everything, it's easy to see Him in creation. I think He made Himself known in a really cool way in the goldfish. Whether or not we see God in a flower or a goldfish, the most important thing we need to know about Him is that He loves us and is gracious to us every day of our lives. It's my hope and prayer that someday I'll be full of love and grace...grace like a goldfish.