Change the Water in Your Bowl

It has been raining in Paso Robles a lot lately. By a lot, I mean, for the past month or so...pretty much nonstop. I'm checking to see if we are getting anywhere near Bangladesh in terms of sheer water volume, but I still think we have a long way to go in order to compare. In the midst of the aforementioned veritable monsoon conditions, my daughter Haley has been a bit stir crazy. The other day she put both hands on the back door pane of glass and said, "Outside, Now!" Frankly, I knew how she felt. But where does one take a two year old when it's raining? The park was out because of flash flood advisories, the swimming pool was shut for fear of lightning storms, Costco was too far away. So...we went to the pet store.

** Special note for parents..., if you need a good outing with your child that is free, the pet store is amazing. Thousands of pets, all in a small space. The dogs all need love, the lizards just need to be looked at...

Ok, so, while at the pet store, my daughter Haley and I bought a fish. Upon driving home Haley declared to me that, "His name is Fyulix," "Oh, cute...Felix the fish?" I asked.. "No, Fyulix." So, we now have a fish named "Fyulix", who lives in a bowl on the kitchen table.

Now, I have owned fish before, so I was very hesitant to have anything to do with acquiring a new one. My experience has always been that the pet store owners will tell you that they are easy, but by the end of the process, you end up requiring precision chemical TLC, perfect amounts of food, purifiers, pumps, thermometers, gauges, and multitudinous calibrated instruments. By the time you walk out, you have spent more on your fish than you would a vintage bottle of Chateaux La Fite.

The man who sold me "Fyulix" told me that all that this particular fish needed was a change of water once a week. And he was right. For about a month now, every week, I have been changing the water in "Fyulix's" bowl. By the end of the week Fyulix is sluggish and slow. After his water change, Fyulix is alive and awake.

So, here's my question for the week. It's a deep and penetrating spiritual question. When was the last time you changed the water in your bowl? I don't mean changed your bowl. Changing your bowl won't get you there. When did you change the water in your bowl? When did you add more oxygen to your life? Not someone else's life. But your own. Not an imaginary life, but your life.

I believe what most people need, including myself, is to change the water in their bowl. The water in our bowls consists of the people we associate with, the books we read, the films we watch, the amount we are talking to God, the time we spend in the Bible... not to mention the amount of time swim in our own....fish stuff.

The apostle Paul talked about putting on "new clothes for God." Paul was onto something, but I need more than new clothes. I need new water!

After Easter, I will be starting a new series at Highlands called, "Oxygen." The main theme of this series will be how we can add oxygen to our lives. How to change the water in our bowls. I'll be talking to God...and of course, watching "Fyulix" for answers to this question...

All for Now,

GB