Fishing Lines

It was a fishing experience that left David Hayes reeling.

 

An avid and experienced angler, Hayes was fishing with his granddaughter, Alyssa, in a pond behind his house in Elkin, North Carolina.When Alyssa had to go potty, she asked Hayes to hold her rod and reel. No sooner had the grandfather taken it when he got a giant catfish on the line.

Hayes landed the huge specimen which was later certified by the Wildlife Resources Commission as the biggest channel catfish ever caught in North Carolina.  And to get it, he�d used Alyssa's Barbie fishing pole. The catfish was 32 inches long  two inches longer than the toy rod and it weighed 21 pounds, 1 ounce. The Barbie pole was designed to handle only six pounds.

 

It's no wonder Alyssa was worried Hayes was going to break her toy, a Christmas present from her dad. Though she'd been fishing with her grandfather since she was old enough to hold the rod, the most the little girl had ever caught was a few bluegill.

 

 But the Barbie pole has made news before.  On January 5, 2008, four-year-old Phoebe Swann was fishing with her dad in Rockport, Texas using her bright pink rod, with a red plastic worm as bait. She snagged a gigantic sea trout and with aid from her father, who spent half an hour reeling in the fish Phoebe helped get the whopper out of the water.  The fish was 40 inches and weighed 50 pounds. After a few pictures, the sea trout was given its freedom.

There are some marvelous parallels here to the effective sharing of our faith, all of which begin with the analogy Jesus used. Seeing some fishermen he called, Come, be my disciples and I will teach�you how to fish for people. (Matthew 4:19,20)

What Christ meant, of course, was that he�d teach them to spread the good news about salvation and spiritual fulfillment.   But among many people inside and outside the church evangelism is a dirty word these days.  Among skeptics, it brings to mind overly-zealous Christians relentlessly trying to pressure them into piety with a gospel that's unwanted and thoroughly unsolicited. Others resent the prideful imposition of a westernized faith on cultures that have their own religions.  And even many Christians themselves have been brutalized by churches who insist that everyone fish the same way, regardless of talent or temperament. None of that is what Jesus had in mind.

Even God doesn't force anyone to believe. Though we should speak freely and fearlessly about how good God has been to us, offering what we have to everyone around us, we don't have the right to impose our faith on anyone who doesn't want it.  Nor is success found in the latest soul-winning fad.

 

As the Barbie story illustrates, the pole is not the biggest factor when it comes to fishing.

Evangelism programs and approaches are valid but like any tool and technique  what matters most is how you use them. The effective sharing of our faith relies on knowledge, experience, practice and patience.

 

From the time we're very young Christians, we need to learn how to tell our story; to articulate God's grace and goodness in our own life.  We need mentors who can teach us how to fish and be there beside us when the fish are biting.  We also need to remember that few find faith through the efforts of just one person. Some of us are best at baiting the hook. Others cast well.  In other words, it's okay to hand off the pole to someone else.   Or maybe you'll be the one to come alongside and land the fish, long after others have done so much of the preliminary work.

 

Regardless, the most important thing to understand is that if we'll get out there and fish with whatever we choose to use our Father will take care of the rest. It'll be his power and strength that matter, not our own childlike attempts. He'll bring in the fish and release them to a life of freedom and fulfilment it's not about us, but him.  He really does love us.  And, yes, it's true.  There's always a catch.

 

By Rick Gamble.� Published in Cross Current, the weekly newsletter of the followers of Christ congregation in Brantford, Ontario, Canada. Reprint at will in not-for-profit publications. To subscribe to this free weekly article, send a note to Rick at rgamble@bfree.on.ca