Courage For Today

fish

Running From Things Not Chasing Us

Encouragement

“Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself.”  Matthew 6:34

I always enjoyed spending summers with my best friend at his grandmothers home in Middle Georgia.  It was my opportunity to spend a little time away from my normal home activities and enjoy hanging out with my buddy.   It was such a great time in life.  We swam in local swimming pools, played out on the farm, and even spent time fishing.  The local town was extremely small so it was an experience just walking around witnessing a taste of how life used to be back in the “good old days.”

I’ll never forget one of those days we decided to try our hand once again fishing.  We both enjoyed fishing a lot although we never had much success.  Honestly, I think we spent too much time talking and making so much noise that it scared the fish away.  When we finally had enough for the day, with no fish to brag about, we started our walk back to my friend’s grandmothers house.  Suddenly, out of nowhere, we approached a log that had a coiled snake sitting on top.  We both panicked and ran away from the snake, toward the house, as fast as our little legs would take us.

The snake was no danger whatsoever, but we didn’t stop to think otherwise.  We ran and ran and ran until we both were so out of breath we had to stop and rest.  Big mistake.  As we stopped to catch our breath, we both heard some crackling on the forest floor.  Our imaginations went wild and off we ran again.  Surely, there must be more snakes coming after us.  The faster we ran, the more we panicked.  Our journey home was filled with our imaginations gone wild.  Every leaf blowing in the wind and every stray animal noise meant instant death in our minds.  Our minds had convinced us to run from something that was never there to begin with, but you couldn’t have convinced us otherwise at the time.

Each of us goes through trials in our life.  For some of us, it is financial hardship.  For others, there are issues with family and relationships.  Many suffer from unemployment or medical concerns.  Whatever the burden may be in your own life, it is important to keep things in perspective.  The natural tendency is to jump immediately to the worse possible conclusion.  Instead of a cold, you have cancer.  Instead of missing a bill payment, you are in bankruptcy.  Instead of breaking up, you now are single the rest of your life.  I know because I’ve been guilty of doing this myself.

Don’t fall prey to running from things in life that aren’t even there.  Don’t manufacture and embellish facts that have never happened.  Concentrate on God’s plan for your life and let HIM worry about tomorrow.  We all have enough to be concerned about for this day alone.

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Why You Should Learn to Forgive Yourself

Forgiveness

One of the hardest issues we battle with as Christians is forgiving ourselves.  I don’t know about you, but I think sometimes it’s easier to forgive others for what they may have done to us rather than forgive ourselves for mistakes we’ve made in our own lives.  I’m not totally sure why that is, but I do know that if you’re out there struggling to forgive yourself, you’re not alone.  It isn’t a new phenomenon that applies only to you; the battle has been around as long as man has been on this earth.

I was re-reading John Chapter 21 today and realized what a perfect example this Chapter is of God’s never-ending love for us, no matter what we’ve done in our lives.  As background, Peter had already denied Christ three times and Jesus had already been crucified and resurrected.  There had been some sightings of Jesus after the resurrection but no one really knew what to expect next or if anyone would ever see Him again.

If you’re familiar with this particular story in John, you’ll remember that some of the Disciples were at the Sea of Tiberias.  Peter was one of those Disciples there that particular day.  I don’t think it’s a stretch to believe that Peter was probably feeling guilty and ashamed and depressed about how he had denied Christ in the past.  Even though Peter was with his closest friends, that didn’t mask the fact that Peter still couldn’t see a way to repair the past and may have to live with those feelings the rest of his life.

It helps to remember that Peter was a true fisherman at heart.  I’ve known people in my own life that live, breathe, and sleep fishing.  They are at home on any lake or stream at any time.  On this particular day, Peter decided to go out and catch fish.  In fact, Peter did exactly what you and I do at times of trouble or when stress or guilt is unbearable—we go back to what’s comfortable.  Peter went back to what he was most comfortable with to (perhaps) find peace and solitude.  Fishing was a relief to Peter and I believe helped him to relax and erase some of his pain or guilt.  As Peter decided to go fishing, the other Disciples that were present decided to join him, but no one caught any fish.

As everyone was out in the boat fishing, they suddenly heard a voice off in the distance from someone standing on the shore.  The person on the shore was asking those in the boat if they had caught any fish.  The Disciples, not knowing who this person was, shouted back “no.”  This stranger on the shore then did a peculiar thing.  He instructed the Disciples to cast their net on the right side of their boat.  They did so and caught so many fish they couldn’t even haul in the net.  Shortly thereafter, some of the Disciples recognized the person on the shore was Jesus and pointed this out to Peter.  As soon as Peter heard this, he jumped in the water and swam toward the shore, toward Jesus.  I wonder what Peter was thinking as he swam to the shore?  Was he going to apologize to Jesus for denying him?  Was he going to ask if Jesus was angry with him?  Did he want Jesus to say some comforting words to him?  We can only speculate, but as soon as he began swimming, the other disciples that remained in the boat followed him to the shore, towing the net full of fish behind them.

As Peter swam closer, he could see that Jesus had already started a warm fire of coals and had some fish cooking on the fire, along with some bread.  He invited Peter and the other Disciples to bring some of the fish they had caught and have breakfast with him.  Before Peter could say anything to Jesus, or do anything to ease his own guilt or pain, Jesus was already there waiting with open arms! Peter didn’t have to do anything to make things right with Jesus; it was if nothing in the past had ever happened.

I think about my own life and how many times I have second guessed myself, made bad decisions, and wished I could make things right with God.  It helps me to remember the story about Peter all those years ago.  No matter how hard I try to erase what has happened and forgive myself for what I should or should not have done, God has already forgotten my mistakes and is there with open arms ready to welcome me.

I thought I would list some quick, practical suggestions, I’ve learned over the years that may help you with forgiveness:

  1. Don’t be afraid to forgive yourself.  This sounds simple but, sometimes, we hang on to the past—even when it hurts—for fear of being alone in the present or future.  Surround yourself with friends and loved ones that can support you as you sever the past and embrace the present/future.  Allow others to pray for you.
  2. Remember that forgiving yourself of the past doesn’t mean you have to forget the past.  It simply means you refuse to allow the past to control your emotions now.  Stop punishing yourself.
  3. Don’t hold yourself to a higher standard than anyone else does.  We’re all imperfect and make mistakes.  Peter denied Jesus three times and Jesus welcomed Peter back with no questions asked.  Embrace God’s Grace, as Peter did, and realize that nothing you’ve done will keep God from opening his arms to you.
  4. Realize that it’s OK to let go of other people’s expectations of you or what others have said about you.  You don’t have any control of what other people say and do.  It also helps to separate what you can control versus what you can’t control.
  5. Look for small things each day where God shows you how he is working in your life.  It may be a kind word from someone; an opportunity that presents itself; a chance for you to do something for someone.  Trust me, God shows you each and every day—you just have to be aware.  Keep a prayer journal or diary of what God shows you and teaches you each day.
  6. Surround yourself with positive verses and quotes.  Write your favorite versus on index cards and stick them on refrigerators; on your bathroom mirror; or in your car.  Place them everywhere possible so that you constantly see positive verses.  It’s amazing how this will change your perspective.
  7. Realize that forgiving yourself is a journey, not a destination.  Don’t fool yourself in believing that you can flip a switch, and you’re there.  It is a gradual process of baby steps.

May God bless you along your journey of forgiveness.

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We Are All Fishers of Men

Self-Worth

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.

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