Leaving The Shoal

"But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light;"

1 Peter 2:9

I definitely think this marks the first time in 3 years of writing that I have ever opened with a King James Version of scripture. You may have winced at that first "ye" but don't count it out too soon. If you are a believer in Jesus Christ whose life reflects that "marvelous light" of transformation, you are in that ever important ye! Look again at what this verse says about us who make up the ye. We are chosen! We are royal! We are holy! We are peculiar! Wait, what's the deal with that last one? Let's take a look at some of the reasons why this might be so.

Jesus followers must be crazy. (And a whole gaggle of non-believers just said AMEN!)

But seriously, what makes us do what we do? What makes us wake up each morning and choose the objective truth of scripture over and over again despite the world's insistence that there is no longer anything but subjective truth in our lives? To clarify our terms, "Objective truth is defined as something that is true for everyone, whether they agree with it or not. At one time this was simply called “truth”" (see reference). This of course is in opposition to subjective truth which says "truth is based off of a person's perspective, feelings, or opinions" (see reference). So again, if popular opinion swings a certain way that is contrary to the commands of scripture, which we all know it loves to do, what makes followers of Christ do an about face and head back in the other direction in spite of the cultural stink eye that we will inevitably receive?

Well, best I can figure, it's because God Himself called us out to be peculiar. Some of the favorite synonyms I found for peculiar in my Google search were: bizarre, unexpected, atypical, exceptional, rare, puzzling, freakish, unconventional, and oddball. Does this sound like you and your family at all? If you are in the ye, it definitely should.

In preparation for this post I did some reading on the schooling of fish. I was particularly interested in fish that don't seem to swim with the pack and why that scientifically might be so. In my reading, one of the things I discovered is that although schooling does define when fish swim together in a coordinated manner, it's not necessarily for social purposes. When a group of fish stay together for social reasons, that is actually another occurrence called shoaling. "In biology, any group of fish that stay together for social reasons are shoaling (see reference)." Pretty neat, I thought.

Then I saw it.

A couple of paragraphs after the basics of schooling and shoaling was listed another phenomenon defined as the "oddity effect." "The "oddity effect" posits that any shoal member that stands out in appearance will be preferentially targeted by predators. This may explain why fish prefer to shoal with individuals that resemble themselves. The oddity effect thus tends to homogenize shoals."

Let's refer back to that list of synonyms again. The last one on my list of favorites (that I had already chosen even before I went down the rabbit hole of researching fish behaviors) is oddball. Coincidence? Maybe. Or maybe God is actually calling us as humans to live out our own "oddity effect" in our human habitat that so happens to be the greater world.

And this brings us right back to my question of what makes us do what we do? Believers know, just like those fish do, that the risk of standing out from the crowd could mean total annihilation. Or, as culture likes to define it these days, total cancelation. One "wrong" statement about the inerrancy of scripture... ALL of scripture... and the shoal will kick us straight to the curb to be eaten alive. And yet we wake up everyday, put our pants on one leg at a time, go to our schools or jobs or whatevers, and with eternity in mind, continue to speak biblical truth to a world that shuns it like the plague.

Consider the following:

Where were you when I established the earth?

Tell me, if you have understanding.

Who fixed its dimensions? Certainly you know!

Who stretched a measuring line across it?

What supports its foundations?

Or who laid its cornerstone

while the morning stars sang together

and all the sons of God shouted for joy?

Who enclosed the sea behind doors

when it burst from the womb,

when I made the clouds its garment

and total darkness its blanket,

when I determined its boundaries

and put its bars and doors in place,

when I declared, “You may come this far, but no farther;

your proud waves stop here”?

Have you ever in your life commanded the morning

or assigned the dawn its place,

so it may seize the edges of the earth

and shake the wicked out of it?

The earth is changed as clay is by a seal;

its hills stand out like the folds of a garment.

Light is withheld from the wicked,

and the arm raised in violence is broken.

Have you traveled to the sources of the sea

or walked in the depths of the oceans?

Have the gates of death been revealed to you?

Have you seen the gates of deep darkness?

Have you comprehended the extent of the earth?

Tell me, if you know all this.

Job 38:4-18

This is what I like to refer to as a divine mic drop (and this is only an excerpt!). Why do believers continue to gladly leave the relative safety of their shoals day in and day out? Because we want to hitch our wagons to the One who can actually make these types of claims and mean every single one of them as unadulterated, unfiltered, undiluted, OBJECTIVE truth. And since only God can make these claims, it also stands to reason that all the other things He said in scripture (or inspired others to say on His behalf) can also be trusted and should be obeyed. To those who desperately want to believe that the "Untamed" and "Of Mess and Moxie" crowd have better things to say and are more merciful to sinners than God Himself, you are on dangerous ground. Half-truths that deceive humans into becoming gods of their own making are Satan's favorite past time. I'm sticking with the one true God who laid the cornerstone of the earth with the sound of His voice. The shoal ain't got nothing on Him.

Don't take it from me though. Take it from King Solomon, the wisest man to have ever lived:

When all has been heard, the conclusion of the matter is this: fear God and keep his commands, because this is for all humanity. For God will bring every act to judgment, including every hidden thing, whether good or evil.

Ecclesiastes 12:13

  

Solomon is clueing us in on something we should all sit up and pay attention to here. The conclusion of the matter. The final word. The fat lady singing. The end game. And what is that again? Instagram likes and fitting in with the popular crowd. Hmmm, not hardly. Solomon said that nothing will ever bring fulfillment in one's life like revering God above all and doing what He says. ALL of what He says. It's just that simple... and it's just that hard. Right?! Of course it is, but man the reward that is coming is gonna be glorious. If we keep our eyes on the prize, leaving the shoal will become easier and easier until it's nothing more than second nature.

Also, in the harder moments, just remember that there are fellow believers leaving their shoals all over the world right alongside you. You are in good company.

Be sober-minded, be alert. Your adversary the devil is prowling around like a roaring lion, looking for anyone he can devour. Resist him, firm in the faith, knowing that the same kind of sufferings are being experienced by your fellow believers throughout the world.

1 Peter 5:8-9

Sometimes the shoal isn't all it's cracked up to be. Yes it's familiar and safe, but if leaving it means a life lived in closer fellowship with Jesus, I can not even begin to tell you how much better that will be. It's a leap of faith for sure, but one where He will be there to catch you every time.