3 First Fish

My son caught his first fish today and it was a whopper of a catfish. I am not much of a fisher and it was just my wife that took him out to the river where he caught it. Till this point my son I'm sure had heard enough stories and gleaned enough from books and movies to know the magic of being in the great outdoors and pitting yourself against a foe that you cannot see. So, in his youth, he went out, armed with one of the library's fishing rods and determined to conquer as any young man might. Needless to say his bait was enough, and he landed a doosie. A catfish bigger than his leg. But what now? It was one thing to sit beside the still waters simply imagining. Practicing casting or baiting his hook, but now came something else, something messy, something frightening, something unknown. He had caught a fish. He broke down in tears because he didn't know what to do. He had caught a fish, but now the work started. Jesus asked us to fish for men. I think many of us are content to sit beside the quiet waters practicing baiting our hooks or casting. We might not be prepared if something takes our lure, and it is ok. But this is what we should hope for. We should fish to catch, not just fish to fish. But after we catch, we should expect a mess. A mess might mean a little hurt, a little fear, a little sweat, a little worry, because that is what are called to do. Catching a lost human with the good news Jesus asked us to share might mean we meet someone a little needy, someone that is broken, someone that we might not choose to catch, but the fact is when you understand God's heart, you just can't resist hoping for that magical fishing experience.