I must have been 10 or 11 years old when my Grandfather invited my Dad and me to go fishing one Saturday afternoon with him. My grandfather loved to fish. I wasn’t that crazy about it myself; I would rather have been playing baseball or basketball. I think fishing was just too slow of a pace for me, but he certainly enjoyed it. So, my dad decided the two of us should go along with my grandfather and have a “guys day out.”
We drove for what seemed an eternity, but finally came to some person’s home on the lake. I found out later that this home belonged to one of my grandfather’s co-workers and we had permission to fish off his lot for that particular day. We must have had 15 poles between the 3 of us, or at least it seemed that way. There were tackle boxes full of shiny lures and plastic worms and red and white bobbers. We also had the mandatory Styrofoam buckets full of minnows. We were ready for action.
My dad painstakingly helped me rig my fishing pole and showed me how to catch the little minnows out of the Styrofoam bucket and how to bait my hook. He then showed me how to throw my line out into the water, as far as I could throw it, and watch patiently as my red and white bobber floated with the ripples of the water, but with no fish to be found. I would reel in the line and throw it out again with a loud grunt, and wait ever so patiently—-for nothing. After about 30 minutes of this, I decided fishing was not going to be a career path for me.
My dad would encourage me to keep trying and he would tell me to throw the line over near this fallen tree, but I ignored him. “Try over by those branches,” but I wouldn’t listen. I just took my time; day-dreamed for a little while, then threw my line where-ever my hard-headed self desired. After all, my dad and grandfather weren’t catching any fish either, so what did they know?
All of a sudden, I heard a shout. “I’ve got one, shouted my grandfather!!” He reeled in the fish; removed the fish from the hook; baited his hook; and threw out his line again. “I’ve got another one, he shouted!” Suddenly, fishing became interesting again. I grabbed my fishing pole and quickly baited my hook and threw it in the exact spot where my grandfather had been catching fish. The second my hook hit the water, a fish grabbed it and I had my first fish. I reeled it in as fast as I could, removed the fish, re-baited my hook and cast my line in the exact spot. Immediately, and I do mean immediately, another fish took the bait and I had my second fish. After an exhausting day of fishing, the three of us managed to catch over 80 fish. I was ecstatic.
In the Book of Mathew, Chapter 4, verses 19-20, the Lord was speaking to two brothers Simon Peter and Andrew and said, “follow me, and I will make you fishers of men. Immediately, they left their nets and followed him.
I was thinking the other day of the time when I first accepted Christ back when I was a teenager. Just like that day at the lake years ago, I remember being hard-headed and putting off doing what I knew I needed to do. I knew the Lord was pulling at my heart strings to accept Him as my savior, but I didn’t act as quickly as I should have acted. Fortunately, the Lord kept working on my heart and sometime later, I accepted Christ. I say fortunately because sometimes we don’t get a second chance or another opportunity.
Where are you in your relationship with Christ? Is the Lord pulling you toward Him? If so, act now. Do as the Lord instructed Simon Peter and Andrew and act immediately. I promise you won’t regret it. Its the best decision I ever made.
