The sun broke the horizon just as I pulled up to my favorite fishing hole. I quietly walked to the front of the boat and eased the anchor into the water. I rose to my feet to enjoy a quick moment of solitude and prayer. The wind was calm and the surface of the water looked like glass. "Wow" I whispered to myself. The beauty of the suns rays streaking across the sky coupled with the reflection on the water was something only God could create. The smell of the salt air seemed to have a cleansing effect on my mind. The sounds of marshhens in the distance broke the beauty of the moment and I found myself reaching for my favorite rod. I jumped to the front deck of my boat and began to eagerly scan the surface of the water. In the distance I could here a faint splashing of water. The excitement was overwhelming and I made a quick dash to the baitwell. I carefully dipped out a few shrimp; picking out the one that seemed to be a little big. After a quick check of the livewell to make sure the aerator pump was working, I stepped quietly back to the front deck of the boat.
After fighting the shrimp for what seemed an eternity, I placed him gingerly on my hook. A quick scan of the surface of the water once more, and I saw him! It was a big redfish tailing on the edge of the shell rake about 70 feet out in front of me. I checked the depth of my cork, "3 feet, I hope I'm right" I murmered. I reared back and made a perfect cast just to the left of him. A few flicks of my cork and he made his turn. His back grazed the surface of the water as he raced towards my cork. The shrimp began to jump out of the water, circling my cork trying to elude the hungry redfish. One more flick and the bite was on. This old redfish had been around awhile though. He played with the bait, making my cork dance to and fro. I knew I had to be patient. The cork started to move very gracefully down into the water until all that remained was the top 2 inches. He slowly made his way off the shellrake and out toward deeper water, dragging the cork behind him. Suddenly the cork slipped down under the surface of the water. I reeled up my slack until I could feel him tug on my line. "Wait for it" I thought to myself. I lowered my rod tip down, tighted my line and with a mighty yank I set the hook. I watched my rod bend to almost the breaking point. The fight was on! Immediately he tore off 40 yards of line. My drag on my reel was screaming. I tightened it down just a hair, and he turned. I knew then I had him. After a few more runs back to deeper water, and a few thoughts of don't loose him, he finaly gave up the fight. I brought him to the side of the boat for a quick guesstimate "30 inches" I told myself, as I carefuly pulled the hook from his mouth. Holding him by his tail, I gently moved him back and forth to revived him. Splash! He was gone and I was instantly blinded with saltwater. After a few moments of stinging I could see. Whew! I fell back into my seat and shouted "Man what a fight!" My arms felt like rubber. The adrenaline was still racing through my veins. I set my rod back in the rod holder and proceeded to wipe my face and arms dry. After a deep breath and a prayer of thanks to the Lord, I headed back to the livewell to do it all over again.
I often wondered how I could fish all day and not complain one time, even if I didn't get a bite. While on the other hand, if I were doing work for the Lord, I would sometimes catch myself thinking of either how I could get out of what I was doing or think of what else I could be doing. If you think about it, it doesn't seem fair to the Lord. There is no "easy way out" solution to this problem. First, the Lord knows what is on your mind. In fact, He knows your decision before you even make it. In Acts 20:35 Jesus says -- I have shown you in every way, by laboring like this, that you must support the weak. And remember the words of the Lord Jesus, that He said, "It is more blessed to give than to recieve.
When I am working for the Lord, I try to keep in mind that what I am doing is for Him. Therefore my joy remains in the work that I am doing. When you help someone, the Lord will bless you and help you in many ways. It may not be anything that you can physically touch, but you can rest assure if you do it for the Lord, He knows and He will remember. I often look at it like this. When I give of myself to help someone in need, the Lord has given me an opportunity to show His love and His kindness to that person. The blessings are on Gods timetable. He knows what you need. I sometimes think about what his blessings would be. Would I recognize them? The fact is His blessing could be anything from a smile from somone when you are down to a feeling of joy at church when someone is saved. Always keep Jesus close to your heart, and He will guide you to make the right decision in whatever you do. May God bless you all in all that you do!
