We heard Jesus’s invitation to Peter. “Put out into deep water and lower your nets for a catch.” This phrase is often used in a spiritual context. It means to venture into unknown or challenging territory. It encourages stepping outside your comfort zone. It also suggests fully committing to a new mission. To “put out into the deep” signifies the need to go beyond familiar boundaries. It means moving beyond what was easy and convenient to achieve more significant results. It requires trusting God’s provision of sustenance and bounty. 

We who live in Florida, surrounded by a vast body of water, are familiar with fishing. You agree that you don’t get a good catch when fishing in shallow waters. Such places include the intracoastal or the beaches. Although fishing in shallow water is safer and less risky, you don’t have a good catch. But the fishermen will tell you this: You get more catch if you go farther into the ocean. You find better quality fish when you go to the deep. Besides, the adventure into the deep is also unforgettable.

In life, we tend to fish in the shallows. If we remain there, we don’t experience the richness of experience and abundance of material and spiritual wealth. By the same token, if our relationship with God is not deep, then we only attend church out of obligation. We share only because we want something in return. If we remain unchanged by God’s words, we are living in the shallow waters.

Some signs that we live in the shallows include focusing primarily on superficial aspects. These include appearances, material possessions, or fleeting pleasures. We don’t delve into the more profound meanings of our daily life. We go through the motions without engaging with life’s complexities and experiences.  We avoid deep conversations, emotional vulnerability, and meaningful connections with others. If you feel you are just surviving, instead of thriving, then you may be in a shallow water.

In our day and age, it’s easy to settle in the shallow waters of life.  We can skip many processes in life.  Advances in technology and communication do it to us.  We allow technology to take over the joy of actual human interactions. For instance, we don’t need to visit Grandma because we can see her on Facetime. Children don’t need to play with other kinds because they have online games and friends.  Without sincere parental guidance, many children are found in their rooms in front of the virtual world.   

According to research and expert opinions, social media can indeed contribute to a sense of living a “shallow life.” It promotes superficial interactions, encourages constant comparison to others’ curated online personas, and less meaningful connections. All these circumstances may lead to less reflective thoughts. Many no longer engage in significant experiences and interactions. 

Now, let us be careful with AI. It’s a big help in making our work easier. However, if we are not cautious, it will take over our creativity. It may take away our innate human ingenuity to connect us to our Creator. This might potentially weaken our spiritual life. These situations make us vulnerable to anxiety, depression, hopelessness, despair, and low self-esteem.

If we feel the emptiness, perhaps we have stayed in shallow waters. In the shallows, we often think occupied and stressed. But we don’t have a good catch! It’s time to go to the deep.

Great things will happen only as we engage in meaningful interactions and live with trust and faith in God. Like Peter’s disappointing catch, our attempts to live a life of abundance will yield empty nets. We need to go deeper into the waters of life.

Moving into deep water requires hard work, commitment, and faith. We must have that strong sense of reliance upon God to guide us and meet our every need. We need to listen to Him more closely and spend time with Him more often. This deeper interaction is the beginning of a richer and fuller life.