Michael and I recently returned from a trip to Alaska. While there is so much natural beauty to captivate one’s imagination, it was a scene in Valdez that prompted this post.

On a rainy late summer’s day, we made our way out to the salmon hatchery beyond the port of Valdez, where we were led to believe that we might capture a glimpse of the end of the salmon run upstream to spawn. We were rewarded well beyond our expectation by waters thick with silver salmon (who knew that there were 5 Pacific varieties), and instructed through videos and placards, on the fascinating life cycle of salmon.

Here were some of the things that we came to understand:

1. Salmon will return to the same stream or river from which they were born, when they are ready to spawn.
2. Salmon grow up in freshwater rivers, move out to saltwater as mature fish and return to freshwater to spawn, after which they die.
3. To return to the rivers from which they came, salmon face many obstacles. Among these are the fact that they need to propel themselves against the current, often hurdling waterfalls, to access their spawning ground an average of 150 miles upstream!

They also face predators who await them as they travel back, bears, eagles and sea lions to name a few. It was next to the fish hatchery that we watched as a whole group of steller sea lions gorged themselves on the migrating salmon..

4.  Salmon change color and physical features as they move from saltwater to fresh in preparation for spawning. 
5. The adult salmon die after spawning and their decomposing bodies provide critical nutrients for the ecosystem including the next generation of baby salmon as they emerge.

At the hatchery, they have designed a net with a single opening that barricades the mouth of a small river where it empties into the ocean. The salmon we saw, returning from their years of living in the ocean, were all being drawn by an instinctual homing device that signaled to them that it was time to return to their origins. Desperate to begin their journey upstream, the fish swarmed next to the net to find the singular gate which would give them access to their upward journey toward home. Once they found and entered through the opening, they faced 29  artificial upstream and uphill plateaus to surmount before entering large tanks that simulate a river bed. Here the salmon spawn, the fertilized eggs are collected to raise and release the next generation.

The remarkable life cycle of salmon certainly made me ponder. What can I learn about our spiritual lives and journeys from this marvel of nature?

In thinking about people rather than fish, we are made body, soul and spirit. It is our spirit that is restlessly in search of alignment with our origin. Why am I alive? Who created me? What is my purpose? Is this life all that there is? Solomon, the writer of Ecclesiates echos this search as he writes, “He [God] has made everything beautiful in its time. Also, he has put eternity in man’s heart, yet so that he cannot find out what God has done from the beginning to the end.” Eccl.3:11

There is a yearning in our spirits that nothing in this world seems to satisfy. What is the gate that gives me access to meaningful, fruitful and everlasting life?

 Jesus said of himself, “I am the gate.” Elsewhere he stated, “I am the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except by me.” As the gate is the starting point for these fish to reach their spawning ground, the starting point for all who would return to their origins is Jesus. 

 Those who are yearning to be reconciled to God as their Father must enter through the gate which He has provided – Jesus the Son. Jesus, the one and only sin bearer, provides this access point. As he prayed to the Father on the night he was arrested, he said, “And this is eternal life, that people know you, the only true God, and that they know Jesus Christ, the One you sent.” John 17:3 

As the salmon throng to find the gate, there are lurking predators who are waiting to attack and devour. In the realm of faith, we also face predators who would prevent us from accessing Jesus as our entry into a reconciled relationship with God, or if we succeed in passing through the gate, will attempt to thwart our journey upward. Jesus spoke in parables about those impediments. He warned against dissipation, drunkenness and the cares of this world catching us like a trap. He also taught that the worries of this life, the deceitfulness of wealth and the cravings for other things can hinder or derail our pursuit. False teaching and teachers, hurtful circumstances which produce fear, trauma, disappointments and confusion, even apathy or laziness can all become predators that come in to “steal, kill and destroy” our pursuit. And all predators seek to isolate their prey. The temptation to pull away from the “school” of other Christ-seekers is another ploy that predators exploit, knowing that spiritual isolation leaves one vulnerable. Unlike fish, we have a defender and protector from predation. It is Jesus Christ who shared with his disciples right before his death, “In this world you will have [predators] trouble. But take heart. I have overcome the [predators of the] world. Jn.16:33 (insert mine) 

Entering the gate is only the beginning of an arduous journey for the salmon. For the remainder of their lives, they will be swimming against obstacles, like waterfalls, against lurking predators and against the current of the river that continually threatens to pull them back out to sea. Even at this fish hatchery, the 29 step ladder and the downstream current are intended to simulate the conditions that these fish might face in the wild. The obstacles are inevitable, the current is unrelenting and predators are ever-present opportunists. These will exist all along their journey toward their spawning ground.

 It is no different for anyone who puts their faith in Jesus as the gate of life. Predators, that the Bible calls spiritual forces of evil, are ever present to thwart or prevent our journey . In addition to predators, there are obstacles that we will all face in this fallen world. Sickness, loss, calamity, persecution are the waterfalls of the world that can seem insurmountable.  There is also the constant current of secular culture that pulls us away from our purpose in this world and from intimacy with our Creator. Sometimes the current is subtle, other times it is a veritable riptide. Jesus fully acknowledged to his followers the troubles that they might face in this world. His first followers found this to be true in their own lives and wrote to prepare others. Peter wrote to the Christians in Turkey who were facing severe persecution,

 “ Dear Friends, don’t be surprised at the fiery trials that you are going through, as if something strange were happening to you.” 1 Peter 4:12 

John, the disciple of Jesus, writes that pursuing Jesus and becoming like him will put us at odds with the current of the world. He warns other followers of Christ,

 “Do not love the world or the things in the world. For if anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in Him. For all that is in the world, the desires of the flesh, the desires of the eyes and pride in possessions is not of the Father but is of the world.” 1 John:2:15,16

So what would motivate those to whom Peter and John were writing or even us today to persevere in living a difficult upstream life? John continues to write, “And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever.” 1 John 2:17

 Our spirits inwardly know that we are made as eternal beings and created to effect eternal changes while on this earth. All that this world offers, and the current that drives every cultural value system, is transient. The world is indeed passing away but we are offered the privilege of investing our affections and energies in that which will last forever.

Another motivation to live a counter-current life is the promise of being loved by and loving the One for whom we are living. On the night before Jesus was crucified, he shared with his disciples the essence of their relationship, love.

 “Those who have my commandments and keep them (by continuing to live an upstream life), these are the ones who love me. And all who love me will be loved by my Father and we will love them and manifest ourselves to them.”Jn.14:21 

Living to love and please and serve God in this world is our expression of love toward Him which is met by God’s lavish promise of His presence and love. We are never alone. Some of Jesus’ last words to his disciples are ours today.” I am with you always even to the close of the age.” Mt.28:20

As the salmon travel further and further upstream, from salt water to brackish water, to fresh water, their appearance changes. The further upstream they travel, the more their color changes as well as their physical features.They no longer resemble the fish they once were.  

As we persevere in pursuit of a life lived for God, to know Him, to love Him and to serve Him and be loved by Him, we are changed. I often tell my kids that if you had met me as a teenager, you would not recognize me as the mom that you have come to know. It is not so much my outward appearance that has changed (although that has for sure) but my inward nature. Paul writes to the Corinthians that, “we all with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being changed into his likeness, from one degree of glory to another. And this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit.” 2 Cor.3:18 

Finally the fish reach their spawning ground. The females release their eggs and the males swim over the eggs, releasing their sperm. From these two fish who persevered in their journey, thousands of offspring are born.The parents die but their death is not in vain. Their decaying bodies provide the very nutrients needed for the ecosystem that will supply food for their offspring.

For those who persevere in their spiritual upstream journey, there is the recognition that our lifelong pursuit is not just for us to be united with Father God and to become more like Jesus in this world. Our lives are meant to inspire and impact generations to come. We can leave behind a legacy of the worthiness of a life lived by faith, for the glory and honor of the God whom we have loved and longed to be united with, finally and forever, face to face. As we die to the entrapments of the world, we provide nourishment for the next generation who enter by the gate and begin their own spiritual journeys.

To those who have started this journey, don’t stop swimming! The current will try to drag you away from the full life of fruitfulness for which you are created. Remember God’s promise, that He is with you.  Keep companionship with others who are also heading home. 

To those who are being drawn toward discovering the meaning and purpose of life, Jesus invites you to come to Him. Don’t be intimidated by the predators that will attempt to draw you away from the path to life.” Keep on seeking, and you will find; keep on asking and you will receive what you are asking for; keep on knocking and the door will be opened for you.” Mt.7:7 NLT

As much as this has been a post about fish, the truth is that we are far more than fish to our heavenly Father who would send his Son to “swim” among us and die on our behalf to open the gate home. God did so love the world that he gave his one and only Son… who came that we might have life.

Where are you on this journey?

How have you tried to satisfy your innate longing for purpose and meaning?

What gates have you entered through to try to find fulfillment?

What do you believe about Jesus’ claim to be the gate to abundant and eternal life?

What predators have you faced and are you currently facing?

What obstacles are preventing you from progressing spiritually?

Have you asked God to help you? Are you willing to receive the help He gives?

How has your journey changed your character? 

What motivates you to continue living a counter-current life?

What legacy would you want to leave for the next generation?

In what ways can you encourage those around you to persevere?

In what ways do you need others to encourage and protect you?