Early morning pre-dawn, the rendezvous is at the Kangaroo.  Ken, the Fish Man, drives overnight from Montgomery with the prized fish. The convenience store parking lot is filled with men in hunting suits and trucks with fishing poles in the bed. The special fish are loaded from Ken’s truck to my fish tank. These are restricted, vegetarians, permitted-by-the-State fish…on the pricey side. I have 210 of these babies, each about 10” long.

Before closing the tank, I ask, “Ken, will you give me some tranquilizer to help the fish will calm down? So they won’t jump out of the tank when I open the lid.” Ken offers the clove oil anesthetic in a cup.

I’m pleased with the morning so far. It’s a little cool and the sun has come up. Drivers are being nice on the interstate. There are no backups. I expect God will give me a good day. Arriving at my first stop a few minutes early, “The Man” is there to meet me. He’s a manly man who sees fish as men’s business, not women’s. He escorts my fish truck to the pond’s edge. The grass has been mowed, so I don’t have to be on the lookout for those slinky snakes! It’s a beautiful scene with the light fog lifting off the water.

I unlatch and pop open the fish box. White stomachs worth $2,000+! Every one of the 210 is belly up. I witnessed this exact scenario a few years earlier. Those fish were buried. “Belly up” are haunting words in the fish business.  “The Man” sees what I see and asks, “Are they dead?” Before I can think of an answer, out of my mouth comes, “No, they are only sleeping. We’ll have to wake them up.” The second thing I say silently in my mind is “HELP, GOD, HELP!”

I explain to “The Man” about the tranquilizer. He suggests dipping water from the lake to replace the sedating water in the fish tank. Good idea. Not even in a state of panic yet, I call Ken for his advice. Can’t get him. Then the hatchery. Too early for them to be at work. Then every other phone number I have for the company’s fish transporters. No answer. In a few minutes, reliable Ken returns the call. He agrees with “The Man’s” plan. Still no panic.

Off to work we go. I play with a fish, elevating the mouth just above the water watching him take in pure fresh oxygen that surprisingly energizes him within a few seconds. Back under water, he begins to swim around. Every single fish reacts this way, looking as if he is kissing oxygen, the breath of life, with his lips. We spend lots of time netting sleeping fish and swishing the netted fish through the lake’s water from the shoreline. It takes several minutes for the lethargy to leave them. Better wake up…there are big bass out there just waiting for you! We stocked 200 sleepy fish and “The Man” was happy. So nice to see a big smile on his face!

I thought the anesthesia would slightly sedate the fish for about an hour, the travel time from Kangaroo to my first stop. The fish are totally knocked out for six hours! They finally wake up before the next stop in Sebring around noon, thanks to a complete fresh water dialysis.

On the drive to Sebring, I talk with God

ME:  “I’ll bet You really enjoyed the dead fish caper, didn’t You?” I hear Him laugh. It’s a hearty belly laugh, not a “haha.”

GOD: I was having fun with you, but there is a lesson in this, you know? I gave you a Word of Knowledge. “The fish aren’t dead, they’re just sleeping.” Who does that sound like? You said it before your mind formed it. You were amazed at those words because they weren’t yours. And it was the Truth. You never panicked.

Your second words to Me were, “Help! God, help!”  Donna, sometimes a cuss word will fly out of your mouth and you ask, “Where did that come from? I don’t want to say this kind of word.” Those words are embedded in your heart.  You know…in the overflow of the heart where words shoot out of the mouth. But this time you overflowed with a plea for My help. I LIKE THAT! Good job, Donna. You’re making progress!

God speaks concerning waking up sleeping Christians

Now, the lesson.  In the church family are many people who look dead, but they are really spiritually asleep. Asleep for many reasons, but all tranquilized by the effects of living in the world: pain, heartache, relationship dysfunction, depression, rejection…the list gets very long. In short, the effects of sin caused by both themselves and others. I need workers who realize they are only sleeping, not dead…not going to hell, just stuck in the process. I need people to wake them up. Yes, I need people. My plan works through people like you.

As you lift them up out of their circumstances towards Me, they will kiss the Breath of Heaven and be revitalized with Truth. They will be energized to live in the world with a Kingdom mindset, to go into their surroundings to help others awake. Their pool of contamination (tranquilization) will be replaced with a pool of understanding, of Truth, of healing, of life in the Holy Spirit, what you are experiencing now. They’re not dead, Donna, they’re just sleeping. Help wake them up.

When you minister to others, there will be those “Help Me, God. Help!” moments. That’s good. Because then you know you can’t do anything for them. It is I who work through you. Not you.  You become dependent on Me. And this, my dear, is life’s great adventure. It scares the pants off you at times, but it really spices up life, don’t you think?

All things work together for the good of those who love Me, even belly up fish. Thank you for loving Me.

ME:  Who else can I go to, Lord? David said, “If I go to the depths of hell, God is there. If I scale to the top of heaven, God is there. If I try to hide, God is there waiting for me.” I don’t want to escape from You. Ever. I’ve got you and You’ve got me. I like it that way.

GOD: Be flexible. Bend and you won’t break. Every time you see a dead fish, you will remember this lesson