The Dorrie Club

Finding Nemo was one of the few movies I actually saw in the theater. As much as I enjoyed it, we sat a little too close and that incredible Pixar animation left me a little dizzy. I honestly prefer it on our TV screen! (Weird, huh) Anyway, headaches aside, there was a character in that film that I immediately bonded with. In spite of having the voice of Ellen DeGeneres, Dorrie spoke to me. This was a fish I could relate to. I wasn't the only one to notice either, it wasn't long before my kids were calling me Dorrie. Not that I'm a natural blue, it's just that "remembering thing" that draws the similarities.

With that in mind, you will understand why I got such a kick out of an essay by Andrée Seu that I read recently. It was in the July 1/8 issue of World Magazine, but I didn't read it until last week. Andrée is a regular contributor to the magazine. If I were to state my goals as a writer, it would be a combination of Erma Bombeck and Andrée Seu. Erma has the humor I delight in, Andrée has the depth. Anyway, her essay was entitled "Absent-minded Professors" with this tag right below it: "Like goldfish, those who profess Christ are prone to forget".

Andrée begins her essay with a startling fact her son informed her of, "Goldfish have a memory of three seconds". While wondering how anyone could really know that, she did find that bit of knowledge reassuring..."[it] relieves the distress I felt over their bleak environment; the next curve on the fishbowl, or leafy plastic frond, is always a surprise to them."

The essay then transitions to the short memory that those who profess Christ tend to have. She ends with a paragraph describing the many times she forgets to trust God and instead gets overwhelmed by circumstances:
"Then suddenly there comes a quickening. Out of the blue I pronounce under my breath, 'I'll trust in His unfailing love.' I say it 50 times a day if once. The funny thing is that it always takes me by surprise, as if I've come upon it only now for the first time. Goldfish, you know."

I can so relate. I am Dorrie, not just in regards to my calendar, but also regarding the goodness of God. Yesterday I was discussing Philippians 3:12-19 with my girls over scones. Junior high breakfast club had to be cancelled because Pastor Jeremy was flat on his back, so we went home and discussed their study together and then prayed for their ailing pastor. In regard to verse 12, "Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me", we discussed the fact that we will never be perfect in this life, but are on a journey, headed toward a goal. We will stumble and fall but hopefully we will get back up and continue moving in the right direction. The fact that we are spiritual goldfish and need to constantly be reminded that God is God, is part of that journey. Someday we will be with Him and we will never forget.

Two more thoughts to leave you with:
1. Lest I leave you with a false impression of the idyllic conditions in our home, I must confess that though we began the morning with scones, steamed vanilla milk, and Bible study on the patio, the day was not without trials of its own. Have I mentioned how wonderful my dog is?
2. Did you know that the word for a pregnant goldfish is "Twit"? I learned that at Scholarship Camp last year -- I tried to verify it just now with my dictionary, but I couldn't find my dictionary. I am a goldfish living with four other goldfish and a very wonderful dog! :)