Birds & Fish

So, last week was supposed to be my first week teaching kids' church at our church.
I was seriously thrilled. I got the curriculum on Wednesday and just started mulling over what I wanted to do. The lesson gave a puppet show, some silly games and a cheesy lesson about how pretty birds and fish are.

"Look at this pretty rainbow fish. Let's glue tin foil and tissue paper to a paper fish!"

I hate those lessons. Ok, yes, they are 7, but still. Even if they don't fully comprehend it, I am not going to do some cheesy, cookie cutter lesson for these kids. I believe God wants to speak to them and even us adults. When we open the Bible, I want it to see it alive and active in my life and in the kids. So I sat there planning for my lesson and wondering about the purpose in fish and birds and thinking of other mentions of fish and birds in the Bible. I reread the accounts of Jonah and the big fish, which actually says that God SPOKE to the fish and told him to swallow Jonah. And thought about how that experience affected this man. I read about Noah sending out the bird for dry land. Peter and the rooster. The Egyptians and the dead fish in the Nile.
These stories and scriptures spoke to me showing me that God didn't just create the fish and birds to "be pretty", but He uses His creation to communicate with us, to ultimately show us his love.
One of the craziest, most awesome spiritual moments I've ever had revolves entirely around John 21 which is the story of the resurrected Jesus speaking from the shore to Peter, who is in a boat (unsuccessfully) fishing until Jesus tells him to throw his nets on the other side of the boat.
God moved in my life through this story, speaking to me about his provision for my needs and my mistakes. All because of the fish Peter reeled in.

As I prepared this lesson, I came alive again. I found my passion and purpose and anointing again. Although, I like my job and life, it doesn't fulfill that deep seeded calling in my soul that for a long time, I feared was gone. Instead it feels like I've found myself again. Excited for the future, which has been absent from my life for longer than I care to admit.
So, I am on the schedule to teach again in a few weeks...we'll see what God does with that lesson....