It was full of large fish, 153, but even with so many the net was not torn. John 21:11

A few weekends ago, Jocelyn’s Robotics team manned a table at a local craft fair. It was an opportunity to show off their project and practice presenting it. Apparently, Jocelyn was on fire as she drew total strangers to the table and explained how the sensors on the sports equipment send feedback and warnings to coaches when an athlete gets hit.

For three solid hours, Jocelyn talked and talked. When she got home, she talked some more as she told me about how much fun it was to explain their idea to anyone who walked by.

The complete success had her floating on Cloud Nine. The cloud floated even higher when her coach awarded her with the title of MVP for the day and sent a lengthy email praising her efforts and promotional skills.

In the blink of an eye, however, Jocelyn went from flying high to crashing and burning. Her tank ran out of gas. Like a light switch being flipped, she was flat out exhausted and needed of a nap. There is something to be said about too much of a good thing.

I’m the same way. Whatever I do, I do it at 150%. I love investing myself whole-heatedly in something. But then I too crash and burn. It seems whenever we’re not moderate, there’s always a price to pay.

Not so with Jesus. In John 21, He fills the disciples’ net for a second time with so many fish, it strains the net. Although the 153 large fish probably should have torn the net, they don’t. There’s no downside to God’s extravagance.

And extravagant He is. He doesn’t just heal people so they can hobble away. He heals them and then fills them with enough strength to dance and cook, and then serve the meal. When Abram and Sarai are childless for decades, He changes their names and gives them as many descendants as there are stars in the sky. When He leaves His disciples to carry on His ministry after His death, He fills the “unschooled and ordinary men” to the brim with the gifts of the Holy Spirit to the point where they’re able to proclaim Him as the Christ with such courage and eloquence, they convert five thousand people in a day.

I think it pleases God that both Jocelyn and I go all in when we’re excited about something. It feeds the bright light within us both. Where we go astray is we rely on our own resources, ones that most certainly have a limited supply.

I think if we each shift to drawing from God, versus drawing from ourselves, we’ll tap into that infinite Source that always provides without any downside at all.

Questions for Reflection:

• Am I prone to crashing and burning with my limited energy supply?
• Have I tried drawing from God’s strength, in place of my own, discovering His unlimited supply?

There’s no downside to God’s extravagance.

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