Gambusia

This is a gambusia fish (prounounced gam-boo-juh.) It's also commonly referred to as the "mosquitofish," because schools of these fish are commonly released into pools of stagnant water in order to consume mosquito larvae. My buddy Dan worked for the Yuba County Mosquito Abatement division this past summer, and he told me that this little fish is a commonly used weapon in the fight against rampant mosquito infestation.

In Yuba County, they have pools where they hold the fish until they are needed, at which point they drag a net through the pool, throw the fish in the back of the truck, and dump them in whatever pool they need to be dumped into. This system works fine, but this supply of gambusia is not inexhaustible; towards the end of the summer, the gambusia supply was practically depleted, but they were still in high demand, as the mosquito season was not quite over. So at this point, it fell upon my buddy Dan to visit the local spawning grounds of these precious gambusia fish, so that they could be harvested and brought back to Mosquito Abatement central. This doesn't seem like a particularly difficult task, except that the local breeding ground for gambusia fish is a series of above-ground sewage ponds.

And so Dan and a coworker would sport full waders (no gloves), a net, and some heavy boots, and wade out into the middle of this stinking sewage puddle. The pond itself is a bout 4 1/2 feet deep, which came up to about the middle of Dan's chest. Once they had waded to the middle of this pool, they would proceed to walk from one side of the pool to the other, dragging the net between them. The consistency of the pond was that of thick soup, and the bottom was very slippery. There were times of absolute terror that Dan could recall when he almost fell totally over. And standing in the middle of that stinking morass, Dan recalled that he thought this thought: "I never thought, in my entire life, that my life would come to this."

And standing in the midst of a raging Halloween party this last weekend, I felt the same way. I know that Jesus visited the houses of tax collectors and befriended prostitutes, but there are times in my life where I wonder if Jesus has been formed in me to the point that I can shine bright in a place full of half-naked women and empty beer bottles. Paul's command to not be transformed by the world, yet be in the world rings in my ears, but I wonder how far I can reach without falling in. When it ceases to be "being all things to all people" and becomes a foolish foray into temptation and ineffectiveness.

But I do know this: when I stand before the gates of Heaven to exchange my filthy rags for clothes of the purest white, I want my waders to stink. I don't want to have gone to the edge of the sewage pool and let my fear of getting dirty overwhelm the desire of Christ in me to net those little fish. With the spirit of GOD in me, I want to wade through the filth of this world, so that when I one day stand before Christ, I might have the person who waded through my filth to love me with the love of Christ on one side, and by the grace of GOD, some of those little fish I waded through filth for on the other. And what a glorious day it will be, when this broken world comes to Shalom, and the work of Christ is completed.

But this day has not yet come, so with my GOD by my side, into the filth I go. But I won't go alone, and I sure won't forget my waders. Talk to you soon.

"As Jesus was walking beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon called Peter and his brother Andrew. They were casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen. 'Come, follow me,' Jesus said, 'and I will make you fishers of men.' At once they left their nets and followed him." (Matthew 4:18-20)

"Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will." (Romans 12:2)