As an experiment, a marine biologist captured a Great Northern Pike fish and put it in an aquarium and created an environment similar to the one that the pike lived in in the Canadian lakes. They even poured minnows into the tank–the very kind the pike loved. The pike started eating the minnows so quickly that the camera that was monitoring the experiment could barely keep up.

Suddenly the experimenter placed the minnows in a glass tube. The pike still went after the minnows but bumped his head and then tried again and bumped his head again. This happened repeated and finally he settled in the bottom of the tank, concluding that he’d never eat another minnow in his life.

The minnows were then released from the glass tube and once again swam free. The minnows swam right past the pike, but now he wouldn’t even move toward them. The pike eventually started to the death in the bottom of the tank.

Do you know why?

The pike was trapped by his own beliefs and a spirit of defeat and resignation. Because he’d bumped up against the glass tube multiple times as he tried to eat the minnows he came to believe that he’d never be able to eat a minnow again. And retreated to the bottom of the tank.

Have you “retreated to the bottom of the tank” in some area of your life, and allowed your mind to settle and stagnate? Are you bound by unbelief, old beliefs or outdated information? Are you not believing in the full scope of opportunities available to you in your life?

Be mindful of what you believe…Don’t allow temporary circumstances or situations to define your who you are or what you believe.