Amateur

 

It has been said that fishermen tend to exaggerate the size of their catches.  Perhaps we all tend to exaggerate to inflate our egos or simply to make an important point, such as bible stories and Jesus' parables we should not take literally.   When we do consider them to have actually happened, we are amateurs not capable of separating fact from fiction.

The bible has many stories that are true in a different sense.  Something does not have to be factual to be true.  The biblical writers knew this.  Many of us today do not.  "She is a rose among thorns" obviously doesn't mean she is an actual rose.  We get the idea.

We don't need to make bible stories more believable.  We just need to understand what they are and what Jesus was trying to make clear to his followers.  

We all can find ourselves in the belly of a giant fish (or whale) when we feel trapped in sorrow, for example.  God is always present to compel that fish to spit us out and help us see the light.

Deacon David Pierce