Okay, I admit it. I like to fish. No, I love to fish. No, I’m not the “buy-the-latest-bass-boat, get-out-every-weekend” kind of guy. But I enjoy fishing for bass at a nearby dam in the summer or catching walleyes in secluded bays of Midwestern lakes.
I love fishing so much that at times it can become a love obsession. But why? A lot of the time I catch nothing. On occasion all I come home with is a story of the one that got away; the big small-mouth that broke my rod, or the steel-head that jumped and thrashed its way to freedom, or the monster Muskie that did whatever he wanted with my line until spitting out the hook.
So how can I, in a world of things that really matter, stand or sit from dawn to dusk when the fish aren’t biting and still enjoy it? What is so great about stepping into the boat, cranking up the 15-horse Evinrude, and heading full throttle for a good underwater drop-off or promising weed bed? Why is it that if the water is calm, the sun is getting low, and I can hear bluegill kissing bugs in the lily pads, that I succumb to the illusion that all is well with the world?
There is something about the natural drug of expectation: “Anticipation. Hope. Imagination.” Thinking about what might happen on the next cast, the next retrieve, the next move.
As much as I love a good lake or river, I wouldn’t go fishing if I knew I wasn’t going to catch anything.
The best thing about fishing, though, is that by thinking about it I’ve rediscovered a desire to live my whole life with anticipation. What could be better, as the sun begins to set on these last days of time, than to work the edge of an unseen future with the hope of catching a moment of faith, an act of unselfish love, or of genuine hope in God!
What could be better than to hunt for an opportunity to be obedient and submissive to the Spirit of God! What could be more challenging than to probe the unseen world of the Spirit, looking for a chance to show self-control, to resist temptation, to choose good rather than evil, to know and agree with God, to experience His power, to suffer with Him, to rejoice with Him, to endure with Him!
What could make a better day than to capture an opportunity to show undeserved kindness and Christ likeness, to endure difficulty with grace, to show joy in testing, to discover wisdom, to hunger for rightness, to fear God, to trust Him, to listen before answering, to encourage a troubled person, to follow through on a promise, to pray for someone, to prepare for hard times, to have a good conscience, to speak truthful with grace, to know Christ.
“Father, teach us to live with expectation. Help us to live in anticipation of Your Son’s any moment return. As the sun of this age gets lower in the sky, enable us to be in pursuit of that which will be worth talking about for all eternity.”
Help us to hear Your Son who said, “Come, follow me and I will send you out to fish for people.” Mark 1:17 No words are more thrilling to the man who wants to be a “soul winner” than these few words of Jesus. It is how Jesus plans to “usher” in his Kingdom.
So it’s important to “think” like a fisherman. Come, follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men.” Matthew 4:19 NIV
Some Fishing Tips from experience:
You have to put a line in the water.
There must be a hook at the end of the line.
There must be bait on the hook.
You must cast the bait reasonably near a fish.
Different fish go for different baits at different times.
You must know when to set the hook.
Some fish hook themselves immediately.
Others run with the bait before they swallow it.
If you have a runner, it will spit out the bait if it feels resistance (pressure).
You must know how to set the hook. Fishing is a skill.
If all previous points are done correctly, all that’s left is to reel in your fish.
However, many fish escape just as you try to bring them into the boat.
As a heroic last ditch effort to escape the net.
Last, but not least “Go” where the “fish” are. Use the right “bait.” Be “patient.”
IT’S NEVER OUT OF SEASON TO FISH FOR SOULS
Recommend Fishing reading books for your pleasure..
Hooked for Life Hardcover – July 1, 1999
Forty million licensed fishermen in the U.S. can’t be wrong: fishing is a national pastime! Fishing for fish and fishing for men have many parallels which are explored in this gift book aimed at anglers. And they can even read it . . . while fishing!
Catch of the Day Hardcover – May 7, 2012
Inspiring spiritual insights on the art of angling from one of the world’s most “alluring” outdoorsmen! Combining his love of fishing and faith in God, Jimmy Houston shares a year’s worth of daily Scripture verses, meditations, and fishing pointers to help you navigate the waters of life. Sure to reel you in, hook, line, and sinker!
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