Cast the net on the right side

Many of the decisions we make on a daily basis are the result of our own analysis of our situations. But sometimes we’re wrong, and these mistakes can afflict us, causing stress or depression. So what would happen if we turned to God whenever we had decisions to make?

This was what happened to the disciples after Jesus’ resurrection while they were fishing in a boat on the Galilean sea. The Bible says, “That night they caught nothing” (John 21:3). In spite of the fact that Jesus had appeared to them twice since his resurrection, perhaps they still felt abandoned and dejected because their Master wasn’t with them anymore. Perhaps they still didn’t realize that the Christ, the divine message from God, was always at hand to reveal the truth to each one of them. So, when Christ Jesus appeared to them on the beach, at first they didn’t recognize him.

Having caught nothing after working all night, they were asked by the Master, “Children, have ye any meat?” When they answered in the negative, he told them: “Cast the net on the right side of the ship, and ye shall find. They cast therefore, and now they were not able to draw it for the multitude of fishes” (John 21:3, 5, 6). Being humbled, they accepted the presence and spiritual guidance of the Christ, the incorporeal, spiritual idea of God that Jesus presented. They changed their methods and dropped their fishing careers, and when they did, they put aside their impulse to do things according to their own judgment. They realized their need to have their minds attuned to God, just as Christ Jesus did. They realized the healing mission they had ahead, and devoted themselves to be “fishers of men,” healers and preachers.

God is never far away from us, even if signs of stress or depression seem to prevent us from finding a solution to our problems. When we are facing such challenges, it is helpful to consider what Jesus taught his disciples: to change direction in our thought, and with all humility cast the net “on the right side of the ship,” which will lead us to solve the problems we are facing.

God is never far away from us.

On one occasion, I was urgently asked to move out of the apartment I was living in. Feeling distressed about this request, that weekend I purchased local real estate magazines to look for a place to live. But before I searched the ads, it came to me to pray first, which I did. I was guided to look for articles about home on the Web pages of El Heraldo de la Ciencia Cristiana [Spanish Herald] and the Christian Science Sentinel. I found inspiring ideas, for example, about the house I was looking for. I needed a space filled with sunlight that would inspire my spiritual activity and be suitable for my work as a designer. I sought a place of peace and well-being.

So that weekend, instead of looking at the newspapers, I let God guide my thoughts. On Monday, while I was driving to work, a very insistent idea came to me to decorate using the colors yellow and blue. I called my brother, with whom I work in the field of hotel interior decoration. He asked me why I wanted his opinion, and I told him that I was thinking about “yellow and blue,” and didn’t know why.

The next day, while I was driving back to work, I saw a yellow and blue facade along one of the streets I was crossing. I immediately stopped and went to see the place. It turned out to be a house that was for rent. I talked to the owner, and he rented it to me on the spot. The house was roomy, with plenty of light, very suitable for my needs, and the price was affordable. I felt happy and very grateful to God.

I found what I needed when I changed my thought and accepted divine Mind’s guidance. I never needed to read the magazines and newspapers with real estate ads. This experience taught me to be alert to every thought that comes from God. I knew that God was ever with me, and that His guidance would always make me feel in the true home, “the consciousness of Love” (Mary Baker Eddy, Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, p. 578).

Mary Baker Eddy writes in regard to Christ Jesus’ disciples: “His resurrection was also their resurrection. It helped them to raise themselves and others from spiritual dulness and blind belief in God into the perception of infinite possibilities” (Science and Health, p. 34). These infinite possibilities are always at hand, and we can experience them every day.