In following my Lord, I have become a spiritual salmon.

“Strive to enter through the narrow gate door; for many, I tell you, will seek to enter and will not be able” (Luke 13:24 NASB).

It is without a doubt that following Jesus, the Christ, is not an easy task. As a matter of fact, following my Lord into heaven is more than a task; it is a lifelong, committed lifestyle that requires the use of all human faculties. I am of the opinion, that being His disciple is the hardest endeavor I will ever do in my earthly journey. I am glad that the Lord Jesus was always honest about this, and started early in His ministry warning all the would-be disciples about the cost of following Him(Matthew 5,6,7). It is easy to understand the reason for this situation; He is perfect, holy, undefiled and separated from sinners, and we are the opposite. Imperfection following perfection: not an easy feat. The Greek verb used for ‘striving ‘in the above verse (agonizomai) means to content for a prize, to fight, to struggle, therefore, describing the journey to heaven. We get our English word agonizing from this Greek word. Following Christ is an intense struggle that causes unimaginable pain but that has as its end, a prize, which is none other than Jesus Christ Himself.

Walking by the banks of the Missouri River the other day, I started meditating about my life in Christ, and ended up with the idea that being His disciple is like being a salmon in its run back to fresh waters to spawn and multiply. Based on Wikipedia, most salmon spend their adult lives in the ocean, but they return to their native river when it is time to procreate. This journey back home is called ‘salmon run’. Based on common literature, this trek is not an easy accomplishment. Many North American salmon must travel 900 miles and climb around 7,000 feet before they reach their destination. The way is fraught with many obstacles, such as waterfalls, rapids, man-made structures, very hungry predators, gravity and lack of food. In other words, the salmon run is one of the hardest animal migrations that exists on this planet. What an apt analogy to describe the life of the followers of Messiah!

The Christian is in the world but is not of the world (John 15:19), therefore, the Christian as the salmon must swim against the current of this system of evil. As a consequence of this going against the flow of this decadent kingdom of darkness, the Christian experiences hate, harassment and possible physical destruction from the nonbelievers (John 15:18, Matthew 5:10-11), just as the salmon faces the hungry bears, bald eagles and fishermen. Moreover, Christ’s followers must overcome mighty obstacles designed to impede their progress, such as their sinful propensities, the work of the devil and the pressures from this complicated life (Hebrews 12:1, 2 Corinthians 2:11, 1 Peter 5:8), just as the salmon must master the man-made structures along the way and fight against gravity, height and the other forces of nature to get to the spawning site. The salmon has one goal in mind: procreate, multiply and receive the reward that the specie is maintained; the Christian also has a goal in mind: reach the Savior in heaven and reap the harvest of everlasting life (1 Peter 1:9). The salmon must subjugate feelings of weariness, tiredness and discouragement and press on until the final destination is reached, and the Christian as well must persevere until the end to be saved (Matthew 24:13). The believer also must avoid false doctrines, prophets and promises of an easy route to heaven (Matthew 24:4-5, 2 Timothy 3:1-9); the salmon has to steer clear from deceptive paths that have the appearance of easy shortcuts. The salmon must keep its eyes fixed on those bodies of fresh water, just as the followers must keep their vision fixed on Jesus (Hebrews 12:2). Lastly, the salmon sacrifices comforts and the promises of prosperity that the ocean offers; likewise, Messiah’s believers must deny themselves, be willing to die for His cause and Word, and obey Him loyally of the days of their lives (Matthew 16:24).

The great news for the salmon and believers in Christ alike is that neither are alone. In the same way that God, the Father, ensures that the salmon reach the final destination through natural forces (Matthew 6:26-30), our Heavenly Father makes sure that we reach heaven, being kept by His power along the way (1 Peter 1:5) and providing for all our needs (Matthew 6:25-33). The Father sent the Holy Spirit to empower believers not only to complete the great commission of preaching the gospel (Acts 1:4-5), but also to change us into the image of His dear Son (2 Corinthians 3:18, Romans 8:29). This Spirit leads us unto all truth (John 16:13), renews our mind (Ephesians 4:23) and teaches us the Word (1 John 2:27). We are not alone in this matter; not only the Father and the Spirit are working on our behalf, but also the Son of God, our Lord and Master, positioned Himself at the right hand of Father- the place of power, honor and privilege- to pray and intercede for us (Romans 8:34, Hebrews 7:25), so that the eternal plan of God in salvation might never be thwarted. Although as the salmon, Christians will never have an easy life in their journey home, we are assured that we will be victorious at the end (Romans 8:37).

The LORD is my light and my salvation;
Whom shall I fear?
The LORD is the defense of my life;
Whom shall I dread? When evildoers came upon me to devour my flesh,
My adversaries and my enemies, they stumbled and fell. Though a host encamps against me,
My heart will not fear;
Though war arises against me,
In spite of this I shall be confident (Psalm 27:1-3 NASB).