Casandra Martin

I am thankful for my friends today. Living out The Jesus Resolution doesn’t happen in a vacuum or on an island. It requires others – to help us, hold us, make us better, slow us down, laugh with us, cry for us, and cheer us on. I am especially thankful for the way my friends help me see Jesus – where He is working, how He is moving, the ways in which He is calling me to be more His.

Most of the time I am like Peter – stubborn and a little slow. Fortunately, he has a friend. There is a fishing story in John 21 that captures what it means for friends to walk in The Jesus Resolution together.

It is some time after the resurrection. Jesus has appeared to the disciples and they are now waiting by the Sea of Galilee. Peter really isn’t a sit-around kind of guy. He decides to go fishing, and all his friends pile in the boat with him. They spend a frustrating night casting lines, throwing nets, and coming up empty.

Early in the morning, a man appears on the shore and tells them to throw their empty nets to the other side of the boat. Immediately, the ropes begin to drag and the boat slows down. The men gather around the side of the boat and begin to haul in fish – a lot of fish! As the boat gets heavier and their hearts get lighter, one of the guys in the boat looks back at the shore. He takes a good long look and pokes Peter in the side. “It is the Lord!”

Stop and watch the re-play of this moment. Peter is busy with fish. He is hauling up lines, grinning at his buddies, pulling in nets, moving fish around the deck of the boat, and laughing some more. And he misses it. His eyes don’t look for God in the moment. But his friend’s do. All it takes is one mention of Jesus to redirect Peter’s focus and heart. Before we know it, he is out of the boat and on his way to Jesus’ side.

I need friends like that. Friends who will point me to Jesus. Friends who will help me see Him when I am too busy, tired, frustrated, or burdened to look for Him myself. Friends who will stand by my side and say, “It is the Lord!”