The Meat of Life

We had been fishing for over four hours! But, something was nagging at me! “You’re fishing way to shallow!” A still small nudge of a voice whispered. But, I refused to listen. The night before we googled and learned what the word, “Thermocline” meant in the fishing world. “Thermocline,” the space of water between the surface and the deep. The place most fish hung out when they were hungry. The meat of the sandwhich! We laughed. Something was telling me in my gut all morning, “You’re fishing way too shallow, you need to fish at a deeper level of water.” When you’re in the wilderness, it allows you mind to tell yourself a few things as well. But, do we listen too the thing that will nourish us the most? Not always!

Cast and You Shall Receive

Heck, five loaves and two fish fed thousands, why not ask for one? I thought! At the beginning of the day I prayed, ” Oh Dear LORD” it would really be fun to see her catch a fish!” Deep down the prayer I will admit was tad bit selfish!  I didn’t want her to get board ya know. The truth is, I needed a kayak fishing partner. As we slowly fished our way around the bay, my mind wondered back in time. I reminisced about the past and I also thought of the story in the bible of the fishermen casting their nets on the other side of the boat. As we laughed and continued to cast over and over with nothing to show for it, the sun was getting hotter, our stomachs hungrier and our Faith in catching anything was slowly fleeting. To pass the time I shared to her the story of how GOD one day a few years back on a lake taught me the importance to having the “Just one more cast” attitude. And how GOD showed me that just one more cast in life could make all the difference in the world. We also discussed the amazing story of how GOD blessed the disciples with abundant blessings mere feet away from where they stood.

It was late morning, sun was hot and we were were getting hungry. And we both knew, when the other was hungry it wasn’t pretty! Half way across the bay from our food stash I still had the nudge. “Too shallow!” It said again.  The bait or lurers we were using would only travel about six fix below the surface. “Go Deeper” the nudge persisted. You’re not in the meat of the sandwhich! LOL Now we both are starving and the quickest way to a fill our hunger was to go through the deepest part of the lake. Oh heck, nothing to lose right? I thought. So we both changed our lures to ones that traveled about twenty five feet below the surface, to the meat of the “Thermocline!” With one cast for the each of us behind the kayaks we decided to let go of the poles (called trolling) and just have an easy paddle back to camp for nice meal.

Hung Up or Hang On?

Go deep! The nudge moves me. Let go of the rod! The tired (of casting) body tells me. Be hungry! The stomach motivates me. Be aware of your past journeys my heart shares with me. Ten minutes and a third of the way across the bay, everything changed. Our lives changed forever, in once split second, with just one cast.   The nudge, the word (of GOD) the history, the hunger, the faith, the journey the experience. The memory that will last a life time all came from the deepest part of the lake.

“Uh-oh! I think I’m hung up!” She yells! As she feels a tug of the pole resting under her leg. Floating myself about thirty feet away, I’m thinking, “The waters just too deep here and her fishing rod does not act like the lurer is crabbing on to a log or trash. Only time will tell I thought! What ever she’s got a hold of, very soon will be expressed from her mouth. I smiled to myself. With a scream she yells, “A fish! I got a fish” At first I have to admit, I thought maybe she was seeing or feeling things. Maybe the bling of the deep was giving her wishful thoughts?  And then I just laughed and shook my head in amazement. You’ve got to be kidding me? I laughed. You just cannot make this stuff up! I shouted. At first, the guy in me wanted to help. School her in landing a fish.You know, the bass pro shop guy!  Then in a funny way, I thought out loud, “Oh, just never mind!” The fish was large of course, given the fact GOD was involved in all of this, but I also knew the boat would not sink because of him, maybe her excitement though?  LOL However, through experience, I know those fish hooks in a hand or leg, would quickly put a damper on the fun. So I just shut up, hoped for no further hookings and watched in pure Joy!

 

Teach a Person To Fish

Fish for a life time! When GOD’s involved, you truly do have all the fun, filled hunger and Peace one could ever want or need. For both of us, that day will feed us with GODLY lessons for a life time: “Come, follow me,” Jesus said, “and I will send you out to fish for people.” Matthew 4:19

The Power of Prayer

Prayer in it’s simplest of forms can move mountains, in this case fish. “OH LORD, it would be nice if she caught a fish?” I prayed. Looking back I thought, darn I should have said, no larger than the ones I’ve caught. “I will bless you more than you can every hope or imagine.” Eph 3:20 It doesn’t matter the size of the prayer, GOD can answer. Never underestimate the smallest of prayers. Even for a fish!

The Influence of a Nudge

I have learned many times, never to ignore a gut nudge or feeling. They are never wrong and from GOD himself. “Go deeper!” It moves me! “Go deeper in Faith” GOD says to us. For it is by Faith under the surface not what is seen that we trust in GOD to do. The nudge, “Go deep in your Faith and I will show you my powers! God says. Never underestimate the power of a nudge. I have found they never are wrong!

The Depth of Faith

We were hungry, but we had to go through the deepest part of the lake to get to our food. The water was the coldest, darkest, largest waves of any portion of the lake. “Do the fish no there’s wind or storm on top?” She asked. No, not in the deepest. All they know is that survival is based on being fed. And faith they must have. Sometimes it requires us to go deep in our Faith, GOD knowing that the blessings are well worth it!

The Peace of Letting GO

Cast and cast, we did. So much so, our shoulders ached and burned. We were hunger, tired and needed some physical Peace of mind. “Go deeper” the nudge persisted! “Let go and float the body called for. For goodness sakes, she wasn’t even holding on to the fishing rod when the fish struck her line! She forgot about it, for all I know, knowing her. We were hungry, tired and needing a Peace. With one cast, one change of thinking and a letting go, a story can and will be forever told. A life, a soul can forever be changed. “Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus. Philippians 3:13

The Accuracy of History

History does not lie. GOD showed the disciples what just a little bit of Faith can do. GOD showed me, in a similar fashion a few years bak, what just one cast, or a just one more attitude can do to a life forever changed. GOD has never ever broken a promise, and He’s not going to start now in your life. “I am the bread of life” John 6:48

The Attitude of Hunger

A fish will not take your bait unless they are hungry and feeding. It’s an instinct. In some cases, the fish loses all its fears in order to be satisfied. We were hungry! My doubt or questioning the nudge was to weak to resist anymore. We needed food and the only way we could get it was by faith to go through the most dangerous so to speak part of the lake. The end results, the satisfaction waiting was influential than the fear or doubt of the journey. The end justified all the means to get there. We just needed to relax! “For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me.” Matthew 25:35

The Amazement of Expectations

“Oh LORD, please allow her to catch a fish!” I prayed. Noticed I did not pray for a certain size of a fish. My expectations was not of how large, but hopefully so! GOD, always, with no exceptions, exceeds all our expectations. He answered in a way, that only He does. The fish was so much larger than expected, one can only believe GOD had to be involved. When we expect great things, great things come from GOD! As absolute as gravity! “So [shall] the knowledge of wisdom [be] unto thy soul: when thou hast found [it], then there shall be a reward, and thy expectation shall not be cut off.” Proverbs 24:14

The Process of the Story

GOD told thirty nine stories known as parables, too twelve fisherman and two billion people are talking about them two thousand years later. Yes, sure the fish was big, but the story and the lessons learned are bigger. “Did you keep the fish? Most ask. No! We caught and released him. “‘You’re kidding!” Most react. It’s not about the catch that matters most! It’s not about the things we collect in life materially that matter. It’s the stories, the laughter, the awe of life, the casting of Faith over and over on a Hope and Prayer that matters most. Keep casting Jesus says. Cast your nets on the other side, mere feet away He wishes from us. Live in a life of Hope that the next cast, the next moment, day or year is different. Yes, Jesus, requires to have Faith, to be motivated and inspired by hunger for Him. To go deeper than you have ever gone before. GOD has never failed you and He will remind you of that through a story of the past or a simple nudge from the gut. He will push you to let go of doubt, strife and judgement. And in many cases he will ask you to change some of your ways you have been doing things.

Your Life Is In the Journey

“Your life is a journey you must travel with a deep consciousness of God. It cost God plenty to get you out of that dead-end, empty-headed life you grew up in. He paid with Christ’s sacred blood, you know. He died like an unblemished, sacrificial lamb. And this was no afterthought. Even though it has only lately—at the end of the ages—become public knowledge, God always knew he was going to do this for you. It’s because of this sacrificed Messiah, whom God then raised from the dead and glorified, that you trust God, that you know you have a future in God.” 1 Peter 1:18 The Message

Life, your life is a story, tell it for all to hear! For today, we become fishermen of men!

The Messenger