Fishbone
By Shirley Mitchell
“I will extol the LORD at all times; his praise will always be on my lips. My soul will boast in the LORD; let the afflicted hear and rejoice. Glorify the LORD with me; let us exalt his name together. I sought the LORD, and he answered me; he delivered me from all my fears.”
Psalm 34:1-4
I was eating one of my favorite foods the other day for lunch. My husband and I love salmon, and we try to have it once a week because it is so healthy for us. So we had salmon for dinner, and I was eating the leftovers for lunch. I was in a hurry because I had so much work to do that I was not very careful searching through the fish for the bones. I noticed this particular piece of salmon had a lot of bones in it, but I didn’t notice the two bones that got away. I got one bone out of my mouth, and one bone was caught at the edge of my throat.
I went to the bathroom to try to get the fishbone out of my mouth. I started to pray to God to get it out. I bent over hoping gravity would force it out. I tried every possible position with my mouth. I wiggled, pressed, jived, and massaged. I prayed continuously. Then, some wonderful co-workers started to tend to me. One got her medical kit. One got her flashlight, and one got me something from the cafeteria. My friend Pam pulled out something from the medical kit to act as a tongue depressor. My friend Kim peered in my throat with her flashlight. We were quite a sight in the ladies’ restroom turned into doctor’s office. These makeshift doctors couldn’t find the bone. My friend Bonnie returned from the cafeteria with her mother’s secret for dissolving fishbones – vinegar…Yes, vinegar. I asked her if this was a joke to see how gullible I am to see if I would actually drink vinegar. Well, I drank it. The fishbone did not dissolve. So after many unsuccessful attempts to get the fishbone out, I thanked my friends and sent them back to their work day while I tried to go back to mine.
I returned to my office where I started to feel really green. My stomach was getting really queasy. The undiluted vinegar was making my stomach swish like a fish surveying its new tank. I had to interview a man for an open position on my team. He may have been talking, but my mind was in continuous prayer for that fishbone, my stomach, and that I didn’t have to run suddenly out of my office to the bathroom.
I finished the interview and called my husband. He naturally told me to go to the doctor. I didn’t want to go to the doctor. I heard what doctors did to get out a fishbone from the throat. I knew my husband’s story, and I didn’t want that to happen to me. I have had babies and agonizing labor deliveries. I have changed from a needle wimp to someone who has been poked and IV’d so much that it no longer fazes me. I have stood in a military line to receive so many shots that I no longer fear them. However, I didn’t want this procedure done. I wanted to be a baby about it.
So I went back to the only one who could help me. I prayed even more sincerely than I had before. I took it to the Great Physician. I went to my Father. I told my Daddy that He has taught me to be pretty strong in medical things, but I didn’t want a human doctor to perform this one. I just wanted my Daddy to do it because I only trusted Him. After I finished praying, the fishbone was still there.
I e-mailed one of my best friends, Bobbie, who I regularly e-mail
throughout the day. I wanted her to sympathize with me, to share in my minor distress, and to pray for me. Later that night, the fishbone was still in my mouth at bedtime. I called my sister Linda for comfort. My daughters prayed over me. My daughter Sophia read to me. I felt so loved by my favorite three girls.
In the morning as I awoke, I felt the fishbone still there. I again prayed the same prayer to the Great Physician. The fishbone dislodged and the saga was over. I asked God, “What did You want me to learn from that, and how can I use it as a devotion?” God said to me, “Some devotions don’t have to be full of godly wisdom. Devotions don’t have to be full of the Holy Spirit’s power bringing a dramatic change in someone’s life. They don’t have to be a great explanation of Scripture, an amazing revelation about an old Passage, or a deep truth that shatters the lies of the enemy. It doesn’t have to be an ’aha!’ or ’wow’ moment.”
You see, beloved, sometimes you and I need to discuss how God impacts just the ordinary days of our lives. We need to be grateful for our perimeter friends, best friends, sisters, daughters, and husbands who stop what they are doing to care about our small problems. It is wonderful to have friends who are there for us in crisis or mountaintop experiences, but it is just as wonderful to have friends who walk with us in the ordinary days of life. Likewise, in our quest to gain spiritual maturity, to shed the old and to put on Christ, let’s not forget the blessedness of daily walking with God and praising Him in small ways.
I finished writing most of this and asked God, “What is the Scripture for this day?” This is strange because usually the Scripture comes first because it’s all about the Word which has life, not my words. God told me Psalm 34 almost immediately. After I read the Scripture, I realized how perfectly it fit. Let’s praise Him at all times, and may His praise always be on our lips. Let’s pray His wonderful Word together that has all power. Beloved, I also must thank you for sharing in the small things of my life.
Pray with me: Oh, Lord, I will extol You at all times! Your praise will always be on my lips. My soul boasts in You. May my friends and family glorify You with me. I seek You, and You answer me. You deliver me from all my fears. Thank You for the fishbone experiences to remind me that living with You is the greatest experience. Thank You for my connections with my wonderful loved ones who care about my smallest needs and love doing daily life with me. It’s in the Name above all names, in Jesus’ Name, Yeshua’s Name, I pray. Amen.