Every time my parents and I head back to Alabama, we try to stop somewhere and have a big catfish supper. I know that many of you have issues with catfish...the bottom-dwellers...but I love fried catfish! I don't know if it's the actual fish or if it's the cornmeal batter that's so special. We don't really batter anything else like that except for the occasional tangy green tomato or garden fresh okra, so it's hard to say.
When I was very small, we lived in the tiniest towns possible. One of these had a quasi-famous restaurant nearby called Ezell's Fish Camp. Ezell's was built right along the river - over the Tombigbee River, to be exact - and they serve the best catfish platters you ever sank your teeth into! Through the years,franchises of the restaurant have popped up throughout the State, but the original location in Lavaca remains the one that we remember fondly.
Among other catfish favorites, we also like to visit Anniston, AL's Top of the River. My sister isn't too far from that town, and we go there nearly every time we stop over. And for a while, we had a favorite spot called Cock of the Walk in Birmingham, but it appears to have closed. Catfish isn't the only draw here... there are usually tasty little hush puppies, beans of some sort...but the really fun addition to most any catfish menu would have to be the fried dill pickles! (I know, I know. It's sounds a bit weird, but think of your local State Fair. You hate to admit it, but those deep fried Snickers Bars aren't that bad, are they?)
The thing that most people can't get over when it comes to catfish is the fact that they are bottom feeders. They have heavy skulls, as opposed to most fish, and a relatively small air bladder. Therefore, they are prone to sink to the bottom. Their heads are flat with wide mouths so that they can feed on whatever lies below - however disgusting that may be. Their skin does not have scales. They are "naked" fish, covered in a light mucous that helps them in cutaneous respiration - they breathe through their skin.
It's an interesting thought - breathing in the atmosphere around us through our skin. But, you know, I have been in certain atmospheres where I could feel the effects immediately. I would like to say that I am only ever around godly people and in godly atmospheres, but that just isn't true. We have been all over the world and even in places here the States where the air around us is filled with bitterness, jealously, hatred, among other things... There are certain places where it seems like my spirit drinks in so many negative things that I feel like I have to get out as quickly as possible. By contrast, though, there are places that hold the presence of the Lord in such a palpable way that all I want to do is breathe.
Being in the presence of the Lord is like being in a pure, clean atmosphere. My husband loves the idea of hiking a mountain in Switzerland and breathing clean air. But being in places where God is not...well, that's like the choking, black air of large, overpopulated cities. We've been there. It's not fun. People wear masks and battle lung illnesses. But even in those places, we carry our own air, of sorts. Do you remember Michael W. Smith's song that says, "This is the air I breathe...your Holy Presence living in me." I really do love that song. It is so worshipful, and it describes fully how I want to live.
Psalm 16:11 says, "You have made known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand." Joy and true pleasures come alongside of the presence of God. I think that it is impossible to live with full joy or peace without that all important ingredient - God. I have seen people who live in terrible family situations still experience the joy of the Lord. It is possible to be in hard places and still breathe the air of God's presence. We invite Him to be around us. We bask in His fellowship. He gives us what we need...and beyond that, He gives us great pleasure simply because we are in His presence.
Yes, we are all something like bottom dwellers, aren't we? We sulk along, feeding on the sludge that lies around us, breathing in the tensions and pressures of our atmospheres. But... there is hope for us, yet! We can allow God's precious presence to create for us an atmosphere of joy. We can breathe in His sweet Spirit and lift our heads.
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