Fishing on the River
Its hard to believe that the summer has come and gone. Time seems to fly by and I can barely catch hold of the fleeting moments. A few of you have expressed concern that you have not heard from me lately. Well rest assured that I am still around, just pondering many things.
Life is a bit quirky, but I find that OK as I realize that I also am a bit quirky. The tough part is figuring out just where I fit.
When I was a kid, my dad used to take us fishing alot on the Sabine River, in East Texas. One of the things that I learned during those times was that rivers are very amazing bodies of water. At times they are rushing, overflowing and washing away everything in and sometimes out of their path. While at other times they have little to no water and are easier to traverse by foot than boat. Both the high and low side of the rivers are wrought with perilous dangers, from getting washed away crashing upon rocks and debris. Unfortunately the fisherman often has no control of the river, he just has to learn to navigate it. This requires sometimes in the river when is is flowing heavy and sometimes when is low.
There was this one place we often fished at we called “Car Bodies”. At some time in the past, someone had pushed a bunch of old cars off into the river and so, here was this literal aqua junk yard. This area served as a good fishing spot for catfish, as they like to hang out under stuff. Unfortunately this was one of the most dangerous spots on the river as well. If you did not motor through the area just right, you could literally split the hull of your boat on a ragged piece of metal. So dad always ran the boat extremely slow and to the left bank to avoid the know hazards.
While a river can have such things as known hazards, it is often filled with unknown hazards. Large trees could be swept away and running downstream. they could capsize your boat in an instant. Dad was always good at avoiding those. Sadly though their was one hazard we could almost find every time. It was like a magnet. Sand Bars! Litterally little islands of sand just below the rivers surface. We could run aground in an instant. Then often someone was getting out, getting wet and pushing us off. Sometimes we would hit these and the motor would bury in the sand, sheering the prop pin or filling the motor’s water pump with sand. Then we were stuck. Without a motor, you are at the mercy of the river. Dad was good about always keeping extra pins, knowing the river has hazards. Once in awhile we would be dead in the water though. Thats when often you could find a fellow fisherman willing to tow you back to the boat launch for needed repairs.
Life is much like the river. Many hazards we know from experience but many more we experience as they come. Knowing the currents of life can be key to our success in surving the hazards of the river of life. Sometimes however we need the aid of fellow fishermen as well to tow us in for repair. I pray that as you run the rivers of life you have a few reliable relationships that can help get you to safety and repair and avoid being washed downstream. If you dont, reach out and find a few!
Blessings.
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I WAIT
I don’t know if you ever had a time in your life when you had to wait on God for something, I mean something more than just His coming back. Maybe it was a trial in your life, a time of uncertainty, or just clear direction. I feel like that is I where I am, and have been for awhile now. As I have pondered these things, my poet side kicked in and I jotted these few lines the other day:
I feel the time is getting late,
but all I can do is wait.
I feel I am nearing the end of the rope,
but I have His promise and hope;
So I wait.
He said to wait, to hold on.
Though at times, I feel so alone.
A life filled with pain and trouble,
wondering, if the end worth all this struggle,
I wait.
All the things of life take its toll,
I struggle, wanting to be in control.
This is such a miserable state,
I think, “Why should I wait?”
but I wait.
Realizing we all have disappointment and failure,
But remembering we are told to endure.
They say in a relationship it is the subtance,
Willingness to wait is the real evidence.
So I wait.
How it was left!
I was having coffee with a friend the other day and I was asked about my blog. I replied that I have just been swamped with life as of late and just have not had time or the the heart to post. They expressed concern, as of course I left my last post as “I am a sinner!” Perhaps there was concern that I had dropped off the deep end of life and never came back, or that I had finally just given in and truly lost my way. During that conversation, I thought, well I gues if I am going to make a final statement, that might be it, but then another side of me argued that, no, that is not really who I am, and certainly that is not how I wish to be defined.
So now after several days of thought, reflection and that internal dialogue we sometimes hear, I’m back. Mainly because their is more to my life than my transgressions, alot more. Don’t misunderstand me, I still have struggles, but at this moment I firmly believe that I have confessed all and have received forgiveness. Of course if you say to yourself you havent asked me for forgiveness, then please contact me, for I want to to be clean.
In contrast to sinner, I think that I can also describe myself as a Godly man. I think too often we think of a godly man as a man fully occupied keeping from the touches of the world through self control, but this is not godliness. Just as a photo negative is not a portrait. A negative misses all the color vibrancies and detail we value in a photo. Godliness is better described as the person who lets God transform him by the glorious truths God has revealed in this world. Jesus was full of grace and truth. He lived life to the fullest. Each step in Christ’s life was overflowing with the goodness of God pouring out so that others would also come to experience God’s goodness, i.e. he was colorful and vibrant.
A Godly man is not defined by what he doesn’t do, but by what he does! One of the abounding traits I look for in those that are Godly is grace. Grace is one of the key tennants of our faith, because without it, we would all be dead in our trespasses and sins. But just as God’s grace was given to us, I think a Godly man or woman, extends grace and lives a life of graciousness. Grace can be defined as the state of kindness and favor towards someone, often with a focus on a benefit given to the object. So we were the focus of God’s grace when Christ died to pay the penalty for our sin. So in being imatators is God, or Godly, grace should be a dominant part of our lives.
Think about it. We are challenged every day, in traffic, at work, even with our children and loved ones. How we respond, what we do. I like how the book of Acts talks about those of the early church, “All believers were one in heart and mind. No one claimed that any of his possessions was his own, but they shared everything they had. With great power the apostles continued to testify to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and much grace was upon them all. There was no needy person among them.” Wow!! Talk about a life of grace or graciousness. Wouldnt it be nice to stop at traffic not see someone standing their with “Will work for food” or “Anything helps” signs or that our rescue missions were empty becuase everyone had what they needed. Wouldn’t it be nice to be defined as “much grace was upon us all”?
I know that I try and live a life of graciousness, and through that I believe that God is glorified and that I live His heart. What about you? How have you shown grace today?
Blessing upon you.
I Am A Sinner
I struggle with moral purity
In action and thought
I struggle with truth and integrity
Always fearing I will get caught
I am a sinner!
My thoughts and actions are often devious
I scheme and connive
My conduct is grievous
My spiritual man, I often deny
I am a sinner.
I want what I know is wrong
I am determined to have my way
I often go where I don’t belong
Down the wrong path I stray
I am a sinner
My heart breaks week after week
I know what I do is wrong
My spirit feels so weak
And my wicked nature so strong
I am a sinner
I cry out to God in worship and prayer
Asking for forgiveness
I really do care
I desire to walk in repentance
I am a sinner
I want to be made whole
my sin nature destroyed and life changed
Salvation for my soul
Accepting what God has arranged
I am a sinner
I don’t think I am alone
I see many just like me
Crying the same song
Wanting to be free
We all are sinners.
