Fishing in the Rain

I fish when I can.

One day last week, my buddy and I had the day off, so we decided to go fishing. Now, we knew it was supposed to rain, but it's rained most days this June and we both had the day off during the week. That opportunity doesn't arise very often, so we were going to take advantage, come what may. When you are a fisherman, you fish when you can.

And then came the rain . . .

We got on the water just after day break. It was a beautiful calm morning, the lake was quiet, it was great. We didn't catch many fish to start with, but that was not a big deal. We were having fun. And then came the rain. Buckets, sheets, torrents of rain. But with the rain, came the fish. And when the fish are biting . . . you fish.

We fished through the storm, laughing the whole time about how crazy it was. We had to pump water out of the boat several times. It wasn't dangerous, because there was no wind or (hardly) any lightning. It was just wet. And man was it wet! We got over 2.5 inches of rain that morning. And we caught a really nice mess of fish. You see, you fish when you can, and when the fish are biting, you stay, come storm or high water.

The life lesson . . .

You see it, I'm sure, the lesson here, the metaphor. Opportunities in life come around unexpectedly, whether it is an opportunity at work, with your family, or with friends. Opportunities to be a fisherman, a fisherman of men. Opportunities to talk about God and His Son and our Savior, Jesus Christ. And when those opportunities come, we should take advantage.

Often times those opportunities are going to come in the midst of a storm, a tragedy, a trial or struggle. It will not be the most comfortable circumstances, but sometimes it can be the most productive. When the rains of life pour down, people are hungry for the truth, the comfort, the reality that is God. They are, in a sense, biting. That can be the best time to fish.

Don't be afraid to fish in the rain.

If we had been scared off by the weather report that day, we would have missed a great day of fishing and friendship. The next day was beautiful and sunny. I went to the same lake, the same places we caught fish in the rain, and caught nearly nothing. You see, the fish weren't biting. Maybe it was the rain, maybe not. All I know is I caught fish in the rain, and nothing when the skies were clear. Take from that what you will.

There are people in your life right now who are going through storms. People who need to be "caught." Don't be afraid to go fishing. You might get skunked, but then again, you just might get the catch of a lifetime. You'll never know if you don't wet a line.

Progress Doesn't Come Easy

Improvement comes with a price.

My wife and I are investing some time, sweat, and money into fixing up our home inside and out this summer. And let me tell you, nothing is as easy (or cheap or quick) as you think it should be. Everything is harder, takes longer, and costs more than you plan. It's an investment in more ways than one.

For example, we are updating our kitchen counter tops. I chose to remove the old counter tops and have someone else install the new ones. Sounds easy enough. Then came the corroded hot water valve to the sink that would not shut off. Cut the pipe, put in a new valve. Then came the screws holding one corner of the counter tops down that I could not get too. Out comes the hacksaw. Then the clamps holding the sink in place were the design of some sadistic engineer who obviously never intended to use them himself. Sometimes you just have to grit your teeth and dig in harder.

Eventually, the tear out was done. We expected new counters in 3 days. Nope. It's going to be at least a week. Probably longer, knowing how these things work. And now we are without a kitchen sink, dishwasher, microwave, or any counter space. The toaster and coffee pot are homeless, and every available horizontal surface elsewhere is now worthlessly occupied by kitchen refugees. It's a bit of an inconvenience.

Life is like that sometimes.

Just as home improvement often takes more investment than we planned, so does self improvement. Both also usually involve a some degree of inconvenience, and even a little discomfort. Tearing out the old is hard, whether it's 40 year old green Formica counter tops which have been repainted twice, or 40 year old bad habits which have been hidden from public sight. And getting the new delivered, or developing good habits to replace the old always, always takes longer than we want or plan. But that's just the way it is.

A good life doesn't come easy. And by good life, I mean a life marked by right attitudes, strong relationships, rewarding occupation, and close fellowship with God. Those are some of the qualities of a good life, and every one of them takes work not just to establish, but to maintain and, occasionally perhaps, remodel. A good close look at our lives will reveal what needs updated. You just have to be willing to see.

In the end, it all pays off.

In a week (or two, or . . .) my wife will be thrilled with her new kitchen, everything will be back in place, and joy will flow like a fountain. Those investments of time, sweat, and money will be rewarded. Just as every investment I have ever made in improving myself has paid many times over what I put in. It's a hard process to go through, but it's worth it.

How about you?

Do any of you have any home or self improvement plans for the summer? If so, I wish you God's speed in your labors, and may all your contractors keep the schedules they promise when you make your deposit.

Yeah, good luck with that one!  
 



Life's like that sometimes.

On Right and Wrong

It is not popular, this idea of right and wrong.

We live in a world desperately struggling to embrace the "ideals" of tolerance, situational ethics, and personal liberty. I say desperately struggling because such "ideals" fly directly in the face of what has been referred to as the collective conscience, which is in fact the sense of right and wrong which God has placed within us. I say desperately because it is the world's last ditch effort to remove God from the equation. I say desperately because, if we succeed, we will have an entirely new understanding of desperation.

In light of this struggle, any indication of holding to or believing in a higher moral standard is met with fierce resistance. The mere allusion to the idea that absolute values exist will earn you the label of radical, extremist, or perhaps worst of all, right wing Christian.

The world does not want to be restrained by right and wrong.

The world around us wants freedom, liberty, independence. Everyone wants the ability to make their own choices, fulfill their dreams and desires, pursue their passions. These are not necessarily wrong, until those pursuits come up against the boundaries of that which is right, and that which is wrong. Then life becomes uncomfortable. And let's face it--none of us likes to be uncomfortable

The world, therefore, has chosen the path of least resistance. Eliminate the nuisance of such restraints. Abolish the standards of good and bad, right and wrong, moral and immoral. Remove all such "barriers" which are "holding us back," and let freedom reign.

The result is anarchy.

A system without restraints will eventually become disorganized, unstable, chaotic. Without order, rules, standards, societies and civilizations fail. Without law, you have lawlessness. And that will serve no one well.

Should murder be allowed, if it is the desire of one individual to take the life of another? Should I be allowed to steal from my neighbor just because I want to? No, of course not. I think very few could honestly say they believe those "freedoms" should be allowed. There are absolute truths, limits to what should be, can be allowed and maintain a stable and decent society. Without those limits, we are doomed to fail.

We are headed down  a dangerous path.

Many of the absolutes established by God are being swept under the rug. They cannot be abolished by mere man, having been set in place by Almighty God, but they can be, and are being ignored. The danger is that when you say one rule of God is violable, you set a precedent. It is a crack in the dam. If left unattended, that crack will widen and spread, creating more. Eventually, the dam will fail and everything down stream will be lost. And let us be clear--we are all down stream of the will of God.

Incredibly, this is nothing new. From the time man received the breath of life from our Creator, we have railed against Him. Individually and collectively man has tried to dislodge God from His place as Ruler and Judge. All have failed. All will fail. The question is, how many will fall when the final failure comes?

There is a decision to be made.

It is a very simple decision. Is there such a thing as right and wrong? Are there absolutes which should not, cannot be changed?

I say yes. What say you? 

Life Lessons-Driving in Traffic

Life in the fast lane.

This small town country boy got to drive in the Big City over the weekend. City life, in particular city traffic, is not for me. Everyone has some place to go, and, judging by the way they drive, they're late. Bumper to bumper, weaving in and out, laying on the         horn . . . It's a madhouse. But as I watched the mayhem around me, I realized some life lessons were right in front of me.

The grass is not always greener, nor the next lane over necessarily a better choice.

We were in stop and go traffic. On the interstate. Lovely! We were not on a tight schedule, but obviously some people were. I saw one guy change lanes five times, trying to get ahead. He ended up behind us. Changing lanes didn't do him any favors.

We do the same thing in life. We know where we want to be, and when we want to be there. We all know the shortest route between two points is a straight line (except when flying over a curved earth--look up flight paths from America to Europe). But we get impatient. Antsy. We think we see a better way and crank the steering wheel of our lives right and left, oblivious to the obvious fact that traffic there is moving just as slow. When not satisfied with our new path, we jump again. And again. Always looking for an easier way when often the best thing to do is stay the course. More often than not, slow and steady wins the race. Thank you Mr Tortoise for that lesson.

Rules are there for a reason.

Speed limits, rules of the road, and traffic laws--as annoying as they are--exist for a reason. They keep things in order, ideally create a safe environment, and in general prevent chaos. The more traffic there is, the more important the rules are. And the more frequently and flagrantly they are ignored.

That's life also, isn't it? There are rules in place, some enacted by man and others by God. Just like those governing traffic, these laws are meant for both the individual and greater good. And the more people gathered together, to more likely those laws are to be violated. One person steps out of line, another follows, and pretty soon you have chaos. Anarchy. If left unchecked the entire system will spin out of control and eventually collapse. Sadly, there is evidence of that all over the world today.

Disaster awaits the careless.

Oh yes, it does. We all know what a bunch of flashing lights up ahead means. Ambulances, firetrucks, police, tow trucks. When people start breaking the rules, inevitably there is going to be a crash. More often than not, the innocent are caught up in the disaster along with the guilty. It's ugly. It's horrific. It's life changing, and sometimes, life ending.

I've witnessed people crash their lives in the same way. Speeding through life with reckless abandon, thinking they are above the law or "too lucky" to get caught, they break all the rules. Oh they look like everything is going their way, until they lose control. Eventually, those rules they are breaking catch up with them, and the result is never pretty. Broken vehicles and bones are bad. Broken souls are worse. And I've seen a few.

The other side of the coin.

For all my ranting about the speeders and traffic weavers, there is another outlaw out there. In many ways, this one is worse. He's the one who refuses to keep up with everyone else within the speed limit. He's the one in the left lane doing 50 in a 70--with his turn signal on. If anyone is going to cause problems, it's him. He's in the way, holding everyone back. Eventually enough pressure will build up behind him that something's going to go wrong. Very wrong.

In life, this is the person who will not do what they are supposed to do. The sluggard, the deadbeat, the carnal Christian. He refuses to do his part, and drags his feet through the muck and mire of life, stirring up the waters the rest of us have to swim in. He's the one dragging others down, putting them in danger. He's an anchor. Watch out for him, for he may very well be the most dangerous of them all.

Driving is like living.

Follow the rules. Find your route and stay the course. Do your part, and don't get in the way of others. If we all drive sensibly, we'll get where we want to be, just when we're supposed to be there.