Steve Porter: The Goldfish That Outgrew the Bowl

 

"He also brought me out into a broad place; He delivered me because He delighted in me." (Psalm 18:19 NKJV)

Just an Ordinary Little Goldfish

There is something wonderfully simple about a goldfish. For many of us, it was probably our first pet—a little orange fish swimming around a plastic bowl on the dresser or kitchen counter. A few colorful stones covered the bottom. Perhaps a plastic plant stood in the corner, and every morning someone would sprinkle a pinch of food across the water.

Around and around that little goldfish would swim in the same circle, with the same view, and within the same boundaries.

Goldfish who are kept in small containers often remain relatively small. It isn't that the glass itself determines their size. Limited space, water quality, oxygen, nutrition, and other environmental conditions can restrict healthy development. But if you give a goldfish the healthy environment of a spacious pond, you may be amazed at what happens.

I saw this firsthand. Years ago, my in-laws built a house on a piece of land and dug a pond on the property. When my brother-in-law, Jacob, was a boy, he placed a few little goldfish into that pond. They were nothing impressive—just ordinary little goldfish.

But the years passed. Those fish grew and multiplied. Eventually the pond was filled with large goldfish. I remember being amazed that the same kind of little fish we normally picture swimming around a child's bowl could become so large.

A Broad Place

I've wondered how many of us have done something similar spiritually. Perhaps we have been swimming in circles for so long that we have mistaken our bowl for our calling. We adjust to our surroundings. We learn the boundaries. Someone tells us what we cannot do. (Photo via Pexels)

Failure teaches us not to try again. Disappointment causes us to lower our expectations. Fear creates invisible walls. Eventually, we stop bumping against them. And before long, we can mistake confinement for contentment. But David said, "He also brought me out into a broad place."

I love those words, "a broad place." God sometimes brings His children into broad places—not to make us impressive or important, but because there are things He has planted within us that need room to develop. Sometimes He changes our circumstances. Sometimes He brings people into our lives who see something in us that we stopped seeing years ago. Sometimes He removes us from an unhealthy environment.

Sometimes the broad place happens entirely inside us. Fear loses its grip. An old wound begins to heal. We stop living for everyone's approval. We begin believing what God has been saying about us all along. And suddenly there is room to grow.

Here is what I love most about those goldfish: The pond didn't put something into them that wasn't already there. It simply provided an environment where what had been placed within them could develop.

Could there be things God has placed within you that haven't fully developed yet? Could you have mistaken your present circumstances for your permanent boundaries?

Our Greatest Environment

Jesus said, "He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit." (John 15:5 NKJV)

Our greatest environment is His presence. We don't grow spiritually by desperately trying to make ourselves bigger. We grow by abiding in Jesus. (Photo via Pexels)

Stay near Him. Drink deeply from His Word. Allow the Holy Spirit to challenge old ways of thinking. Obey when He calls you beyond what is familiar. When you do something begins to happen: your faith stretches, your capacity to love grows, your compassion deepens, your prayer life enlarges, and eventually growth becomes fruitfulness.

Embrace the Broader Space and Enter Into the Fullness of God's Purpose

Remember Jacob, my brother-in-law, placed only a few goldfish into that pond. Years later, there were many. What God develops within us is rarely intended to stop with us. The healing He gives you can become compassion for another wounded person. The wisdom gained through your valley can become direction for another traveler. The comfort you received can become comfort you freely give.

Perhaps today you feel as though you've been swimming around the same little circle for years. Don't despise where you are. But neither should you confuse today's walls with the boundaries of God's purpose for your life.

If God opens the broad place, don't be afraid to enter it. Those little goldfish didn't become something different when they entered the pond. They simply had room to become more fully what they had always been created to be. And perhaps God is doing something similar in you.

Keep abiding. Keep surrendering. Keep following. And don't measure your future by the little circle you've been swimming in. There may be more inside you than the bowl ever gave you room to discover.

 

Whatever you do, don't miss another ELIJAH LIST email! Subscribe here.

 

Steve Porter
Refuge Ministries
Email: G524walk@yahoo.com
Website: www.findrefuge.tv

Steve and Diane Porter have dedicated their lives to helping others experience a deeper relationship with God. Through their work with Refuge Ministries and Deeper Life Press, they have created resources that touch lives all over the globe. Steve has a special anointing to bring forth the deep truths of the Spirit, and his books, articles, and videos have helped people draw closer to God. The Porters live near Rochester, NY, and their greatest joy is to share the incredible love of their wonderful Lord.

 

To receive more words like this in YOUR inbox, subscribe FREE to the Elijah List here.

 

 

Thank you for making the always-free "ElijahStreams" possible. To partner with us, click here.

Your donations truly help us keep these emails free for you.

Donate Now

To find us on Facebook, click here