| A
LESSON FROM THE BOAT
January
2008
ON
CHOICES AND CHOOSING !!
Another “Lesson
From The Boat”
“No one
can be the slave of two masters; he will either hate the
first and love
the second, or treat the first with respect and the
second with scorn.
You cannot be the slave of both God and
of money.”
Matthew 6:24, parallel in Luke 16:13
“And Jesus
said to them, ‘Follow me, and I will make you
fishers of men.’”
Mark 1:17, parallels in Matthew 4:18-22 and Luke 5:1-11
Our summer and
fall fishing trips usually take us to a small, private cabin at the
south end of a bay off of the Winnipeg River at Minaki , Ontario .
The bay is called “ Jackfish Bay ” and it affords a wonderful
view of spectacular sunsets. The bay is surrounded by high granite
banks that slope steeply up from the water, and which are clothed
in fir, poplar, and birch trees. It is long and narrow and really
only gets rough when the wind is heavy out of the west-north-west.
Each morning,
we typically pull away from the dock at about 8:00 , and set out for
either Big Sand Lake or Little Sand Lake for a day of fishing. As
we pass the small islands that dot the east shore of the bay and head
for the Winnipeg River channel and for the long ride up to our fishing
holes, we usually join a small armada of other fishing boats who are
heading towards the same lakes. As we all begin our day of fishing,
it would appear to the casual observer that each of these boats would
have an equal chance to land a good catch of walleye - but appearances
can be deceiving.
In a sense, one’s
chances of catching fish have already been impacted by decisions or
choices made long before one heads out of Jackfish Bay . The fish
are waiting in the lakes, all of the fishermen can go there and try
for the fish. If you have a license and some fishing gear you can
give it a shot…..either from shore, or from a boat. BUT, in
some ways the die is already cast in terms of who will consistently
come home with a good catch of fish. Let me explain. Some of the folks
in these boats have taken good care of their boats and motors –
they’ve serviced them regularly, repaired them faithfully, and
made sure everything is good working order. Other fishermen have not
done good maintenance and so their equipment fails at the worst possible
times, often on the way to that really great fishing hole. Sometimes,
those who have made bad choices, who have either neglected or ignored
their boat and fishing equipment, end up in real pain or in serious
difficulty. It’s absolutely no fun at all, and even dangerous,
to be on a storm-tossed lake in bad weather with a leaky boat, a failed
motor, or without life-saving equipment in good condition.
Some of the folks
in these boats who go out in the morning have paid attention to their
fishing gear – they’ve put new line on their reels and
have cleaned and lubed them; they’ve checked over their rods
to make sure that the “eyes” aren’t damaged and
won’t fray their lines; they’ve checked their lures and
made sure they have tackle appropriate for the species of fish they’re
after; they’ve made sure their depth finders are working and
that there are no weak spots or holes in their landing nets. Other
fishermen haven’t done these things, and they’ll lose
fish because they’ve not paid attention to their fishing gear.
Some of the fishermen
for the lake have made sure that they have the right clothing and
other equipment for the day, and they will fish fairly comfortably
no matter what the weather conditions. Others haven’t dressed
appropriately, and they will end up cold or wet or sun-baked and head
home early. Some of these guys will have checked a map of the lake
and will have pinpointed likely areas to fish, or they will have checked
with the folks at the bait shop as to where fish have been biting.
Consequently, they won’t waste their time working unproductive
areas. Others are just winging it and hoping for the best. Some of
these guys have studied the species they’re trying for –
where the fish tend to feed, what they feed on, what water depths
they prefer at different times of year, what baits are likely to trigger
a bite, what techniques and lures work best on these waters. Other
guys will be fishing all day long in the wrong places, at the wrong
depths, with the wrong bait, and using the wrong techniques. Some
of the guys in these boats that are heading out at 8:00 in the morning
will consistently catch fish and catch good size fish…….and
some will occasionally luck out and catch a few, but much of the time
they will come home empty-handed and convinced that “the fish
aren’t biting”, or that the lake is fished out.
Anyone can catch
a fish once in while (it would seem that there are unprepared and
amateur fish as well as unprepared and amateur fishermen), but the
person who makes the right choices, i.e. plans their trip carefully,
takes good care of their equipment, studies the fish and learns how
to fish, seeks good advice and follows it, and learns their lessons
well and applies them faithfully, are going to consistently come home
with a good catch of fish.
It seems to me
that there is a lesson here about the choices we make concerning our
moral and spiritual lives. In the Gospels, Jesus enjoins us to make
very serious choices. For example, he bids us to follow him, as he
did when he called his disciples in Mark 1, Matthew 4, and Luke 5.
Or again, he tells us that we have to make a serious choice about
whom or what to put first in our lives with regard to seeking wealth
or God. In effect, he is counseling us not to make an idol out of
money. He tells us that we should choose to seek first his “kingdom”,
to live by its values, and that if we do, we will experience abundance
of life….he tells us to “seek first the kingdom of God
”. He warns us that we may even have to make a choice between
him and our families…..that’s serious stuff. (Read chapter
10 of Matthew).
Now, we may start
out from different places and stations and circumstances in life……differences
in wealth, intellectual gifts, physical attributes, culture, race,
gender, etc. (All fishermen are not the same, they do not have the
same equipment, etc. Jesus’ disciples also came from different
walks of life, and they had different abilities and attributes, etc.)
As my mother used to say….”What or who you are is God’s
gift to you.” Nevertheless, we all have the privilege and responsibility
at different times and in different ways to choose to use the gifts
we have to their maximum for the kingdom of God (or not), just as
every fisherman has the opportunities to make the kind of choices
that maximize their chances of making a good catch of fish. The rest
of Mom’s saying was…..”What you DO with who you
are is your gift to God!” We are presented almost every day
with serious choices….to follow Jesus Christ as Our Lord and
Savior and to walk with him, or to say “No….I’ll
do it my way”.
An important
lesson for me is simply this….be very careful and deliberate
and wise about the choices you make in your life, as you will likely
have to live with the consequences for a very, very long time. Learn
to ask God….”what would you have me to do in this situation?”
Pray about your decisions and ask for God’s guidance. Surround
yourself with wise, seasoned Christian counselors and seek their guidance.
Study God’s Word, the Bible…..it is filled with deep and
profound wisdom about HOW to live our lives fruitfully. Be a person
of regular worship and prayer so that you can be strengthened each
day for the journey, and for making those important choices of “where
to fish in life’s lakes, what kind of bait to use”, “what
lures to employ”, etc.
Lots of folks
go out in boats to fish…….not all of them come home with
a good catch! It all depends on the CHOICES they make about their
trip!!!!!
And that, dear
friends, is another “lesson from the boat.”
Father George
“Prepare
your tackle. When you hook a big fish it is impossible to retie
a hook or a
leader.” Jim Chapralis
“Ten percent
of the fishermen catch 90 percent of the fish.”
Fisherman’s
Saying
“ Successful
anglers are sticklers for doing things precisely right, because
they know a
slight difference in technique can make a big difference in
the catch.”
Ted Trueblood
“ Choose
you this day whom you will serve……as for me and my house,
we will
serve the Lord.”
Joshua to the Israelites as they prepared to enter
the Promised
Land – Joshua 24:15
A
LESSON FROM THE BOAT
August
2007
“When
Catching Fish Is Just Too Easy”
2 Thessalonians 3:6-15 and Luke 10:25-37
“We gave
you a rule when we were with you: not to let anyone have any food
if he refused to do any work. Now we hear that there are some of you
living in idleness, doing no work themselves but interfering with
everyone else’s. In the Lord Jesus Christ, we order and call
on people of this kind to go on quietly working and earning the food
they eat.”
St. Paul the Apostle
to the Christians in Thessalonica, 2 Thess. 3:10-12
Wow! Statements
like this from one of the Apostles are tough to understand. Surely,
Paul must have heard that the Lord Jesus commanded his followers to
observe the commandment to “love their neighbors” as themselves
(Luke 10:25 -28). Surely, the one who penned the profoundly moving
phrases about Christian love in the 13th chapter of his letter to
the church in Corinth knew that he was to deal with all other (the
lazy, the indolent, even enemies) with kindness and consideration.
What, then, could Paul have been thinking of when he gave this advice
to Christians in Thessalonica……that if they refused to
work they should not be given anything to eat? I think I may have
some understanding of what he was saying from an experience Etsuko
and I had this June while fishing Tetu Lake in Ontario , Canada .
In June, Etsuko
and I spent five nights and four glorious days staying at Caribou
Falls Lodge and fishing the fish-abundant waters of Tetu Lake ! Tetu
Lake is really comprised of about 20 miles of the English River just
before it joins the Winnipeg River for the rest of their journey to
Lake Winnipeg . Much of the river is fairly narrow and the waters
run swiftly and deep. There are many underwater reefs, there are rapids
to fish, and there are a few wide places where the wind can whip up
some ferocious waves. There are only two small lodges on the lake
and almost no private homes. It is true wilderness and is the haunt
of black bear, wolves, deer, moose, beaver, and lots of other birds
and animal life. The fishing there is, to put it simply, fabulous.
We had a marvelous
time fishing over the four days we were there. After paying our bill
the last evening, I was having a conversation with a friend who had
also spent four days fishing this lake. He, too, had caught LOTS of
fish, and he too had experienced the majesty of this wilderness paradise.
I said to him that Etsuko and I had had a wonderful time! To my surprise,
he said that if he ever came back here again, he would only stay three
days….four days were too long and it all became “boring”.
I was dumbfounded! How, I wondered, could four days spent in this
wilderness paradise, fishing in waters teeming with fish, be “boring”?
It wasn’t
long before the answer dawned on me. He and his partner for the trip
had hired a guide each day they were there. The guide took them to
fish at the best locations on the lake; he baited their hooks; he
netted the fish they caught and took them off their hooks; he cooked
their shore lunch; each day, he prepared and cleaned their boat; he
cleaned and packaged their fish. My friend and his partner ate all
of their meals at the lodge. In other words, my friend and his partner
did nothing except to sit in their seats and reel in the fish. No
wonder it was boring!! REAL “fishing” consists of preparing
to go
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fishing, searching
for the fish, trying to catch the fish, caring for the fish you do
catch, cleaning your fish, and finally, cooking (and eating) your
fish. Of course, there are also the camp chores and caring for your
boat and tackle. All of this is part and parcel of “fishing”.
If you are truly to experience the joy and satisfaction of fishing,
you have to really invest yourself in fishing with your own time and
your own effort!!! True “fishing” is the whole package……not
just sitting in a boat and reeling in the fish someone else has found
for you; not just eating the fish someone else has cleaned and prepared
for you. His fishing was just too easy, and he wasn’t really
invested in it! If someone does everything for us, there will be no
joy and satisfaction in what we are doing……only boredom.
As my Dad used to say…..”If it comes too easily, it isn’t
worth having or doing”. We value and treasure and enjoy most
those enterprises in which we invest ourselves……those
enterprises into which we pour our time and energy and effort.
There are some
valuable lessons to be learned here. One is about abundant living……about
“fullness” of life. If something is to have value to us,
if something (or someone) is to really mean something to us, if we
are to truly find joy and satisfaction and fulfillment in any enterprise
(or in a relationship), we have to really invest ourselves in it.
A sad truth is that if things come too easily to us we come to take
them for granted, we find little joy in them, we become easily bored
with them, and they have no real value to us. How many parents, for
example, have learned to their disappointment and chagrin that in
showering their children with too many toys or luxuries that they
spoiled them, they robbed them of any motivation to do anything for
themselves. A far more precious gift from a parent to a child is to
teach that child to really work at something, to really invest themselves
in something, to learn how to work and to do their work well. That
is why the wise parent gives his children chores to do, makes them
earn things, teaches them to value things by earning them. A very
wise man named Kahil Gibran once observed that in the final analysis,
parents have only two gifts to give to their children – roots
and wings. They cannot fly if they have become complacent and lazy,
and so dependent on the parents’ largesse that they refuse to
even TRY to fly.
It is reasonably
well documented that too often, well-meant social welfare programs
have created a class of people who have lost any motivation to work,
who see support from the government as a “right”, who
have lost the pride, self-respect and satisfaction that come from
doing hard, honest work for oneself and ones family, and from doing
that work well! True charity does not create a perpetually dependent
class of people. True charity meets real needs AND struggles to help
folks become independent and productive on their own.
Well, what does
this have to do with Christian love? Jesus asks us to “love”
our neighbors as ourselves. The Greek word in Scripture that is translated
as “love” in English is “agape”. The meaning
of agape is to be found in the teaching and witness of Jesus….he
gives flesh and bone to “agape”. From what he taught and
did we see that to “love” someone, or to “agapeseis”
them is to sacrificially seek the best for them; to provide for them
what is best for them…..both for the short and for the long
haul. Ito love others is to strive to heal them, to make them whole,
to assist them to stand on their own two feet, to call them as disciples,
to raise them up. Christians ARE called to feed the hungry……but
not forever. We are called on to clothe the naked…..but not
forever. We are to labor to provide for their real NEEDS…..but
not forever. We are NOT (out of well-intentioned love and concern)
to cause and engender dependency or laziness or lethargy. We are not
to rob others of the dignity and joy and satisfaction that come from
providing for themselves, of earning their own way, of standing independently
on their own two feet, of “catching their own fish”. There
is a profound truth in this old
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saying……Give
a man a fish to eat, and he will eat today; teach him how to fish,
and he will eat forever.” I think that Paul had learned from
experience that true charity, true Christian love, consist in the
long run in “teaching someone to fish”……not
to just sit on the seat and pull in the fish others have provided.
To truly love someone as Christ loves them is to struggle to see the
whole person and to try to address their true need. To love the other
is to pray that they (and we) grow and mature into one who is “created
in the image of God”, who has been redeemed by Him as one eternally
precious in His eyes, and who by grace can grow into what He has made
them (and us) by redemption…..a true child and an heir of His
kingdom.
Perhaps, a second
lesson is this. You cannot really be a Christian in any true sense
by just attending the “sprinkling” ceremonies (baptism,
marriage, and burial), and by going to church “once in a while”.
To really LIVE the abundant life that Christ desires for us we must
follow him and trust him with every fiber of our being, in the deepest
parts of our hearts and minds…..each and every day. We really
only begin to “walk the walk” as a Christian when we welcome
the Lord Jesus Christ into the very center of our beings as our Lord
and Savior. When we answer his call of “Follow me” and
follow with all we have and all we are, then he begins to truly re-make
us into “fishermen” and “fishers of men”.
We will never really enjoy the pleasures of fishing until we do the
WHOLE thing! That’s why we call fishing “fishing”………….and
not “catching”. In the same way, we will never know the
abundant joy of the Christian life until we love the Lord with every
bit of our being, and until we do our level best to walk in his footsteps
every step of our life’s journey! (Read carefully and ponder
Luke 14:25-27 and Luke 18:24-30 and their parallels in Matthew and
Mark). We can’t know the joy of fishing until we do the WHOLE
thing! Likewise, the abundant life of Christ is not to be had by a
“token” faith or by selective religiosity, but rather
by a wholehearted embracing of Christ and His Way!
And there, dear
friends, are some truly important “lessons from the boat”!
“For the
uninitiated, catching fish is a simple business: bait a hook, drop
it in the water, and see what happens. The seasoned angler knows better.
Fish are not so much caught as they are outsmarted. Some fishermen,
through a commitment to lifelong learning, transform sport into art.”
Criswell Freeman
in The Fisherman’s Guide to Life
“Every fishing
water has its secrets. A river or a lake is not a dead thing. It has
beauty and wisdom and content. And to yield up these mysteries, it
must be fished with more than hooks.”
Zane Grey
A true fishing
guide works himself out of a job by teaching you all that he knows
and by sending you off to fish on your own!
George Schulenberg
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THOU SHALT
LOVE THY NEIGHBOR AS THYSELF"
Another Lesson from the Boat
by the Rev. George W. Schulenberg
"There was a lawyer who, to disconcert him, stood
up and said to him, 'Master, what must I do to inherit eternal life?'
He (Jesus) said to him, 'What is written in the Law? What do you
read there?' He replied, 'You must love the Lord your God with all
your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with
all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself.' 'You have answered
right,' said Jesus, 'do this and life is yours.'"
The Gospel of Luke 10:25-28
The Jerusalem Bible
A
young man of 25 years was our guide for last year's annual June
fishing trip. He was one of several young fishing and hunting guides
working for Caribou Falls Lodge, which sits on the north end of
Tetu Lake in northwest Ontario. Mitch and his wife, who also works
for the lodge, come from northeastern New Brunswick Province in
Canada. During the winter months, this hard-working young couple
works on building their own home. In his "spare time"
Mitch guides deer and bear hunting parties near his remote, wilderness
hometown.
Mitch
was perhaps the best guide and boat handler that I have ever met.
There were three of us in our fishing party, and he managed to keep
us over fish all day long, to keep our hooks baited, to handle the
considerable number of walleyes that we caught, to engage us in
conversation, and to make each and every day a wonderful experience
- even when it was pouring rain. He handled the 17 foot boat and
50 horse power Yamaha motor as if they were part of a delicate musical
instrument. Whether we were in fast-flowing waters above or below
rapids, or landing the boat on a rocky shoreline for lunch, or maneuvering
right below a dam and its turbulent water for just the right fishing
"hole", Mitch was in complete and competent control of
the boat at every moment.
But,
as impressive as were his fishing and boat-handling skills, the
most impressive thing about this young man was his impeccable manners.
No matter how trying or long was the day, Mitch was unfailingly
polite and considerate. One of my partners is a world-class 'snag-catcher',
yet, no matter how many times he had to abandon our drift pattern
to get my friend un-snagged, he was respectful and courteous. You
might expect that a guide would be polite and respectful to his
paying customers, but Mitch treated everyone else the same way.
If we were going from one fishing place to another at high speed,
Mitch always slowed way down to pass other parties who were fishing
along the way so as to not upset them with our boat's wake. If another
party was fishing where he wanted to take us, he would take us to
still another spot so as to not horn in on their area. He religiously
minded his "pleases" and "thank yous", he always
spoke to us respectfully, and I noticed that he extended these same
courtesies to his fellow guides and co-workers. Mitch was a true
gentleman, a true fisherman, and a pleasure to be with on the water!!
He provided me with a really great lesson from the boat.
For
some reason, we seem to live in a time when public and private manners
seem are in short supply. Way too many of us seem to take pride
in how rude and crass we can be. We seem to be heedless of social
graces and of good manners towards strangers and towards friends
and family. I could list endless examples of rude and boorish behavior,
but just witness the really nasty behavior of so many of the driving
public, especially during rush hours, or bad weather, or at other
times when traffic backs up and we are required to wait. Or again,
we used to be careful of our dress in public, but today, it seems
as if some could care less how unkempt or sloppy they look, or how
sexually suggestive is their dress. Witness clothing with holes
chopped in "strategic" locations, or jeans that ride WAYYYYY
below the hipline, or t-shirts that end WAYYYYY above the same line,
or names printed on the seat area of gym wear. I have personally
seen people come to weddings or funerals in clothing that shouldn't
be worn on a construction job. Again, how many TV shows revolve
around out-of-control teens disrespecting parents and being rude
to all adults.TV stations should be ashamed to air such behavior.
Pick an activity (basketball game, fishing, football game, hockey
match, and watch the rude, "in your face", and offensive
behavior of far too many players and their fans. TV shows and movies?
I won't even go there - they've become so disgusting and vulgar
in recent years.
Whatever
has happened to us as a society, I believe that we need to recapture
and live out the letter and spirit of the Two Great Commandments
quoted in St. Luke's gospel, i.e. that we LOVE God with all of our
being, and that we LOVE our neighbors like we do ourselves. One
simple and practical way to "love our neighbors" is to
practice good manners!! GOOD ,MANNERS ARE A SIGN OF RESPECT FOR
THE INTEGRITY OF OTHERS, AND ARE AN IMPORTANT PIECE OF WHAT IT MEANS
TO CARE ABOUT THEM, TO LOVE ('agape' in Greek) THEM. Good manners
are among the essential and important "glues" that hold
a society together in peace and good order. Good manners are one
of those traits that distinguish a civilized people from a barbaric
and violent people. Good manners allow us to settle differences
and arguments without violence. Practicing good manners helps with
developing self-control. This is one of the reasons good parents
work so hard at teaching their children good manners. Good manners
are one of the mechanisms by which the weak are protected. Good
manners are among the ways by which we show others respect, compassion,
kindness, and regard for the other person. Good manners are a means
to show that we truly do love God!!!
During
Lent, we can begin to recapture some good manners in our church
life. For example, we can enter the church, say some silent prayers,
and then sit quietly as we wait for worship to begin. We can save
our chit-chat for the coffee hour after worship. Again, we can dress
UP and wear our best clothes to church, and then dress down for
comfort after church. We can keep our feet off the pews and other
church furniture. We can look for ways to assist those who are advanced
in age or who are disabled in some way. We can refrain from applause
in church - we are there to make offerings to God of praise and
prayer, not to perform. We can take a turn and volunteer to serve
the coffee hour. We can honor (without fail) whatever commitments
we make and do our fair share of the work and ministry of our church.
We can remember to say 'please' and 'thank you' and 'excuse me'.
Mitch
the fishing guide was an inspiration, a true gentleman, a great
fisherman, and a living example of just how we can "love our
neighbors as we love ourselves." I look forward to fishing
with him again this coming June. In being with this fine young man,
I re-learned a really important Christian "lesson from the
boat - that "loving your neighbor" begins with something
as simple as practicing good manners.
Father George Schulenberg
"Fishing is a constant reminder of the democracy of life, of
humility, and of
human frailty. The forces of nature discriminate for no man."
"Peace
is not made at the council table, or in treaties,
but in the hearts of men."
Herbert Hoover
"Even if it's a little thing, do something for those who have
need
of help, something for which you get no pay but the
privilege of doing it."
Albert
Schweitzer
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