Audio: A Matter of Choice
“Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a net which was thrown into the sea and gathered fish of every kind; when it was full, men drew it ashore and sat down and sorted the good into vessels but threw away the bad” (Matthew 13:47-48).
For me it rings true that choice plays a major role in the quality our life takes on. Some will say, “No, it’s our thinking that influences our life.” Yes, this is true. But each thought we think is a choice. People and circumstances may influence our thought, but we have to agree to allow this to happen before it can.
I think this is the point Jesus is making with his parable of the dragnet. The fishermen catch a variety of fish then make the choice to keep what they want and discard the rest. Think of this as the principle involved in prayer. We release the energy of negativity and affirm what is true at the level of the absolute. A healing prayer: I now release the appearance that is illness is real and I fully embrace the truth that God is my unfailing source of wholeness. A prospering prayer: I now release this appearance of lack for I know God is my unfailing source of abundance.
By making such statements from a level of conviction, we are releasing the bad fish and keeping the good fish in the vessel of our mind. We are making a conscious choice to let God’s greater good unfold through us. Should we choose instead to let our thoughts be controlled by negative appearances, we are making a choice to keep fish we do not want.
How we think of God, how we think of ourselves and how we envision our relationship to God sets our standard of choice. If we see God as the ever-present source of life, love, power and intelligence and we see ourselves as a complete expression of God in a relationship of oneness with God that cannot be broken, then our prayers are charged with a power that will move mountains.
Paul suggested that we pray without ceasing. Jesus provided a mechanism that helps us become conscious of how we are praying. Do we really want the fish we’re keeping? This truly is a matter of choice.
J Douglas Bottorff 
Many of us these days have a problem with what to keep and what we ought to throw away/recycle/re-gift. Even if what we have has value, the decision rests on the question,”Do I want it?”
I never clearly saw this before.
Stuff can certainly build up and become an unneeded weight.