I recently went fishing with a couple of my grandsons and we had a blast. We had challenged each other with who would catch not only the largest but also the most fish. I had a lot of fun teasing them about they were already at a disadvantage because not only did I have many more years of experience than they, I don't sleep much any more for several reasons and that I would be out fishing while they were laying in bed asleep. After a bit of "Grandpa, that's not fair" and more teasing I promised not to start until they were able to join me and the first day they literally out fished me like I had never fished in my life. No matter how hard I tried, I caught nothing. The second day was better, I caught a small bass on a top water lure and then had an experience that everyone thought was hilarious.
I caught a nice bass and just as I started to bring it in and the boys were all excited, it spit out the lure. I thought, I'll show you and immediately tossed the lure back to where the fish was hiding next to a patch of lily pads. Every time for the next five or six casts the bass would hit the lure hard enough to knock it completely out of the water but not hard enough to hook. Everyone was laughing, thought it was really funny; everyone that is, except me so I gave up, crossed the road to another pond and began fishing it.
For some reason, the line on my reel keep fraying. We checked the rod but could see nothing wrong. I saw a bass hit the top so I wound up and cast in that direction -- and my lure just kept on going; the line had broken. I felt horrible, I had lost my favorite top water plug so my son-in-law and I disassembled the reel and he spotted the problem; part of the inner ring on the cover had broken and was rubbing against the line causing it to fray. I packed it in for the day and the boys thought they had the competition pretty much sewed up.
While I was hanging out resting in the AC at the cabin, my son-in-law surprised me with a new rod and reel for my birthday and a brand new topper lure just like my favorite I had lost. That inspired me so when I woke about daylight the next day I headed back to where the fish that had caused me so much trouble was, determined to catch it. After about 10 to 15 casts, I hooked him. I whooped and was already looking around for my phone so I could take a selfie of me holding my fish when all of a sudden it felt like the fish had tangled me on a log. Glad the boys weren't there to rub it in, I began to work to see if I could get the lure loose from the log when I felt it give. I thought, well, if I'm careful maybe I can get the limb or whatever it was to shore where I could at least get the lure. I slowly worked and pulled for close to 5 minutes and when I got it close to the shore, I saw rather than being a limb it was a basketball size mass of ferns and surprise; in the middle of the mass was the fish! I could hardly see it for the mass of ferns.
Laying my rod down, I firmly seized the fish and began to try to work it loose from all encumbrances at the same time trying to make sure I didn't hook myself with the lure which was firmly embedded in its mouth. Upon success, I then took a picture of the fish (the saying the boys have is "no picture, no fish"), turned it loose to give someone else a good time and headed back to camp for breakfast.
The boys were as happy as I that I had caught the fish that had given me so much trouble, and by the time evening had come and we gathered to sing a few worship songs, it was well established that not only had they caught more (the youngest caught over 20) my other grandson had not only caught more than I but had caught one bigger than I. It was a lot of fun.
I could make a lot of spiritual parallels between the trouble I had with my rod, the fish that "got away" and losing my lure but I think I will just ask a few questions instead. How many times have we worked to bring someone to Christ and they've "gotten away" -- we thought we had them "hooked" only to have them "spit it out" and go their own way? Did we bother to go back and try again, or give up? I was determined to catch that fish, and went back until I did.
Have we ever considered it might be the flawed "equipment" we are using that is hindering our success in reaching people for Christ? How far away have we strayed from the Gospel message of Jesus Christ and Him crucified for the sins of the world in our efforts to reach people? Everything we add to the message -- all the programs, doctrines, ideas of our own as to how to reach people for Christ are all like that mass of ferns at the end of my line; lucky my line didn't break. It's only by the Grace of God anyone ever comes to Christ for salvation so distorted and encumbered with our ideas the message of life has become in our time.
It's not about who catches the biggest or the most; it's all about presenting the Gospel as it is presented in the Bible. We're not really in competition with each other -- are we? Or are we?
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Editor's note: Charlie Newman is pastor of Avoca Christian Church. To contact him, e-mail [email protected], or write in care of The Times at [email protected] or P.O. Box 25, Pea Ridge, AR 72751.
Religion on 09/17/2014