Being a father is awesome! Fatherhood teaches dads a lot about life. A few months ago we got my son a ten gallon aquarium with a few exotic fish. Together we are learning how to care for the fish and over the past few months some interesting things have occurred. We have had fish to attack each other as well as one to take a leap of faith out of the aquarium. These occurrences provided teaching moments about life. What I find very interesting is the fact that the fighting fish and that leaper were in the same family. So why did these fish demonstrate such unusual behaviors? Although they were in the same school of fish they behaved quite differently from the others. All that my son wanted to know was how big his fish would get. I discovered that environmental factors have a major impact on fish just as our environmental conditions impact us.

Let me explain, each fish only reaches its full potential when the conditions of the environment are right. However, when fish produce waste it throws off the levels of the water. When these levels become unbalanced it creates a stressful environment which can become fatal. Stress may stunt the growth of the fish, cause fish to fight each other, and may cause them to jump out of the water even if it means death. So it is with us…when our environment becomes toxic we exhibit unusual behavior as well. We fight each other, jump out of water, and our growth becomes stagnant. We must ask ourselves on a daily basis if our environments are causing us stress or stunting our growth.

Many people suffer from the general adaption syndrome also known as the adaptive factors. They adapt to the toxic waste within their environment and do one of the following: become agitators, resistors, or succumb to the toxic environment and lose all sense of purpose. But are fish really supposed to live in aquariums? Fish behave differently in their natural habitat because they have plenty of room to escape unfavorable water conditions and predators. Now we must ask ourselves if we belong in our current environment. When the pressures of our surroundings aren’t stressful, we can be who we have been purposed to be.

It is known that if a small shark is captured and confined while it is young, it remains a size proportionate to its aquarium. In fact, a shark can be six inches long, yet fully grown. But if we release them within their natural environment, the ocean, the same shark may grow up to eight feet in length. Are we growing? Are our children and families developing to their full potential?

If the answer is no, we must place ourselves in the proper environment in order to become all that we have been purposed to be.