They say a shark will only grow size proportionately to the aquarium it is put in. That means a mature shark in a small aquarium might never grow bigger than several inches.
For us, we might therefore consider aquariums a wonderful place to swim if it weren’t for the following small details…
1. We were made for bigger things: There is no way this 190lb man is going to fit in a little fish tank, but many times I find myself trying to live in the safe box I create. Why? Because that’s where there is no danger…. no risk. The sharks are small and can’t really hurt me there. The problem is we were never made to live in little aquariums. We were made for a life of adventure and risk. When we don’t take risks, we can’t exercise our faith. Without faith, we can’t please God.
2. Aquariums are fake worlds: Treasure chests, plastic seaweed, even the way in which the water receives oxygen is contrived. When we submerge ourselves in a world of fake surroundings, we don’t face the realities of life, which essentially cause us to grow. It takes resistance to build muscle just as the hard realities of life in this world cause us to grow spiritually. Look at all the great men and women who became great through their struggle, not by pretending it didn’t exist.
3. There’s no room for anyone else: When we live a life of safety, we are become concerned with ourselves as numero uno. We are always looking out for our own best interest. What do fish in an aquarium seem to look forward to most… food! Feed me, feed me! All the while, they are probably looking over at the fish stuck on the glass saying, “Thank you Lord, I don’t have to suck algae and stare out that glass!” In actuality, at least the algae sucker is looking out instead of in.
4. The outside world looks distorted from inside the aquarium: Just how sometimes we see fish distorted from certain angles, I imagine they look out and see some pretty intimidating things. I think of Joshua, Caleb and the other spies checking out the Promised Land. When the other spies came back, they said they saw giants and they felt like grasshoppers in comparison. Typical safe, selfish, aquarium living. Joshua and Caleb, on the other hand, saw the same thing, but they were living a life of risk. They had a different perspective and realized things aren’t what they appear. They weren’t going to let their lives be ruled by what things looked like from inside the aquarium.
The deep calls.
Tony Morgan wraps it up in one powerful quote. Read it here.
Reminds of the old Petra song “Rose Colored Stained Glass Windows”:
Looking through rose-colored stained glass windows.
Never allowing the world to come in.
Seeing no evil and feeling no pain.
Making the light as it comes from within so dim.
You’re absolutely right. When we’re trapped in our aquarium, the world looks funny and sinister. So we sit in our aquarium and void theoutside world at all costs. So much for the Great Commission.
You are never able to get rid of or escape from the aquarium you live in. All you do is replace it with one that is different somehow. Larger, smaller, shapped differently. Is one born into an aquarium or does our own society put us in one. If our society puts us in an aquarium what makes our society? Religion, government and other social structures. So the aquarium that we are in if created by our society which is partly made by our religion means that it was made by God.
I would rather swim in the ocean (made by God) than a kiddie pool. Just my preference.