From the DAWGHouse…
When the Nets Are Full
I was listening to a recent Forge podcast with Eddie Rivera as guest, when he made a comment that was so deeply profound: “It’s easy to follow Jesus when the nets are empty, but not so much when your nets are full.” Truth if there ever was truth!
When you’re broke. When nothing’s working. When the job falls through, the relationships crumble, the dreams seem out of reach…
In those moments of desperation, surrender seems like the most logical step. “I’ve tried it my way,” we say. “Now I’ll try God’s.”
But what about when the nets are full?
What about when business is booming, when the bank account is comfortable, the recognition is flowing, and the opportunities are endless? It’s in those moments—when life is working—that Jesus’s call to “Follow Me” can feel more like an interruption than an invitation. Can you relate?
In Luke 5, Peter and his companions had just experienced the biggest fishing miracle of their lives. They had fished all night and caught nothing. But then Jesus stepped in, told them to cast their nets again—and the catch was overwhelming. The nets were breaking. The boats were sinking. Their business just hit a record day.
And it was then—at the height of their success—that Jesus said, “Follow Me.” And they did. “They left everything and followed Him.”
That’s what makes the moment so remarkable.
They didn’t walk away from failure. They walked away from abundance.
That’s hard. Because full nets come with full schedules, full obligations, and full identities. Full nets represent what we’ve built, what we’ve earned, and what we’ve come to believe defines us. To lay that down…to walk away from what the world says is success…
That’s the real test of trust.
Jesus’s call isn’t based on whether our nets are full or empty. He’s not waiting for our lowest moment to recruit us, nor is He impressed by our highest. His call is simple: “Follow Me.” Not just when we have nothing to lose—but when we have everything to lose.
Because in truth, we don’t lose anything of eternal worth when we follow Him. We gain everything.
There is nothing wrong with full nets. But there is everything wrong with full nets that keep us from the One who filled them in the first place.
The question is: Will you still follow when the nets are full?
Because that’s when it really counts.
Joe Bouch
