Fried Any Goldfish Lately?

11 But Naaman went away angry and said, "I thought that he would surely come out to me and stand and call on the name of the LORD his God, wave his hand over the spot and cure me of my leprosy – 2 Kings 5:11 NIV

I read in the news the other day about a Houston-area woman who was angry at her former common-law husband and so she fried their pet goldfish and ate some of them.

Pasadena police said it's a civil matter and no charges will be filed. The seven goldfish were purchased together by the couple during happier times.

Police spokesman Vance Mitchell said the man reported on Saturday that the woman took the goldfish from his apartment.

Mitchell said the two argued earlier about some jewelry the man had given her but took back. She wanted the jewelry returned.

Officers who were dispatched to the woman's home arrived to find four fried goldfish on a plate. The woman said she already ate the other three.

You know what I thought as I read this? This story sounds a little “fishy.” But, what a “golden” opportunity to pass on some words of wisdom (both puns intended).

But seriously, remember the story of Naaman in II Kings 5? The prophet Elisha told him to dip in the Jordan River seven times in order to be healed of his leprosy. Naaman didn't want to do it because it was too simple and beneath him. He wanted the prophet to do something spectacular. And when it didn't happen the way he expected it to, he was about to walk away and forfeit the miracle when a wise and bold servant spoke truth into his life. He knew Naaman would do something difficult to get healed. But would he do something simple?

Here is what I have seen through the years of being a pastor and talking to numerous couples. Some couples have such a rotten relationship that they are desperately in need of a miracle. But rather than doing the simple things, such as being kind, communicating, being nice, etc., they are looking for some prophet or experience counselor to come by and wave his or her magic wand over their marriage.

You see folks, the reason we often don’t see miracles isn’t because we are not willing to do the hard things, but we are not willing to do the easy things. It is good old-fashioned obedience that sets the stage for miracles. That is all God asks. If we do the simple things, like dipping in the Jordan River seven times, God will do the difficult things. If we do the natural things, God will do the supernatural things. If we do the obedient thing, God will do the miraculous thing.

Isn’t it true that in the world of athletics, you never outgrow the basics? You have to practice simple skills over and over again. Baseball players spend a great deal of their time throwing the baseball and playing catch. Football players spend a great deal of their time running simple scrimmages. Same is true spiritually. You never outgrow the basics! You have to be great at simple things if you want to experience the spectacular.

Oswald Chambers said it this way: "It is inbred in us that we have to do exceptional things for God; but we have not. We have to be exceptional at ordinary things."

So let’s practice being polite and being nice to one another. You may not need a high price marriage counselor. All you need is to pray more for your spouse, do something simple and thoughtful and stay at it even if it appears to go unnoticed. Believe me, if you are operating out of the box by being nice, it will not go unnoticed.

Start now doing the simple things if you want to experience extraordinary benefits. This would be a lot better than frying up some goldfish and having them for dinner.