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Topic: Fishing (06/07/04)
TITLE: The Big Catch of the Day By B Price 06/14/04 |
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Memories can be wonderful to reminisce but then there are some you would like to forget. Several years ago, when my son was in his early teens, he went fishing with one of his friends. This was a very proud event for him because he caught his 1st big fish.
At the time we didn’t have a freezer or any space in our refrigerator freezer so we asked if a friend of mine would be able to store it in her freezer. She said that there would be no problem in storing it for a while. I made sure to tell her that if it became a problem, we would come and get it. As time went on, I asked several times if it was still all right to keep the fish in her freezer. Each time she answered, “Don’t worry; I’ll call you if it is in the way.”
About a month later, my son and I went over to pick up his fish. I was horrified when she told us that she had thrown the fish away without bothering to let us know so we could come and get it. I was so hurt that we left without saying a word to her.
By the time we returned home, she had already called. I was too hurt to call her back. She did call back that evening and my husband, John explained that I was too upset to talk to her. Over the course of several days she made several attempts to talk to me. I just kept avoiding her.
John became very concerned that I was not willing to forgive her and tell her how much she hurt me. When I finally did speak to her, though my anger, I told her that, “You can mess with me, but don’t mess with my kids.”
Through the youthful wisdom of my son, he made me realize that a friendship was much more important that a fish. Out of the mouth of babes, it makes you wonder who actually the responsible adult is.
It is amazing how God can use any situation, to teach us important life lessons. I am in “awe” when he uses our children to open our eyes when we act childish. After all, He is God our Father and we are His children. Once we realize that Jesus paid the price for our sins, and we accept Him as our Savior, we need to be open to the lessons that He wants us to learn.
Many of us are fishing to get more out of life. We feel that life is a competition to see who can catch the biggest fish. What we need to realize that Jesus is the only “fish” we need to catch.
In John 21:6, Jesus directed Peter and some of the disciples to throw their nets on the right side of the boat. When they did as they were told, they caught a multitude of fish. They were obedient to the Lord and he blessed them for it. Jesus used this example to teach us to stay in prayer, to listen to Him, and to keep our focus on what He wants us to do. When we allow God to direct us where we are to cast our nets, we will always be able to reel in the blessings.