And
Jesus said unto them, Come ye after me, and I will make you to become fishers of men. Mark 1:17
As
a teenage boy going up in a small community, I recall a gentleman who lived in
our neighborhood that might have been considered a bit eccentric, but then, cannot
almost every community boast at least one such character? He was pretty rough
around the edges, and to describe him as unrefined would be an understatement.
He was definitely not a man to try and impress anyone. His clothes were not
always the cleanest, nor was his language of purest quality. Due to his “eccentricities”,
many would not stop and give him the time of day.
Although
I cannot say that I thoroughly enjoyed the “colorful” way with which he would
express himself, I found him to be intriguing, and actually very wise in many
aspects of life. In fact, he would say things that would make you stop and go,
hmmm! He made one such statement that has stayed with me throughout the years. A
little while back, this wise maxim from years ago, was brought to the forefront
of my mind. I’ll touch on that a little later on.
First
let me say that this gentleman mentioned earlier, was an avid fisherman. He fished every day,
literally. He would set his lines on the way into work and then check them on
his way back home; but unlike most of those who thought themselves to be true
fishermen; he fished the small tributaries, or creeks, as we called them. Some
of these little trickles of water a man could step across without stretching his
legs, but the old gentleman would walk these streams until he would find a hole
deep enough for his prey to hide in and would bring out some of the most
beautiful fish I have ever seen.
I
was driving one day when I saw him climbing up the bank of one of these little
streams. In his hand was a largemouth bass that had to be at least a three
pounder. I pulled over to see his catch. As he walked up to the car, he held this fish up high while grinning
from ear to ear. After he had made his way to the rolled down window of my car,
he lowered the fish to his side, then leaning over and bracing himself with his
forearm at the base of the window, he made the statement I earlier mentioned.
He
said, “Sammy, I watch these people going
up and down these roads every day, pulling their big boats on the way to the
big man-made lakes, trying to catch the biggest and best fish. They don’t have
a clue that they are driving across hundreds of the best fishing holes in the country”.
I
chuckled as I thought of how true this statement was and how most of those he
was talking about in their big boats would never believe he was actually pulling
fish, like the one he was holding in his hand, from a tiny creek.
You
might ask, “Where is he going with this”? Please bear with me.
A
few weeks ago, a dear elderly friend of mine visited with us for our Sunday
morning service. He met me at the back door after the benediction and pulled me
aside. He made a statement that I seemed to have heard before. Only this time
the topic was not fishing. However, it was still uncanny how close the two were
in nature. Listen to the statement he made and see why the old fisherman came
to mind.
He
said, “Sammy, every Sunday people are
driving up and down these roads going to the large man-made churches, trying to find peace in their lives and for
their souls. They don’t know that they are driving past some of the best
churches in the country”.
He went on to say, “Many of the smaller churches like this one are still trying to worship
Christ. Many of the big places are only trying to fill the pews by offering the
excitement of entertainment and motivational speeches designed to make men and
women feel good about themselves, all the while Christ is left out of the
picture.
I
guess my point is this: Whether fishing for bass or for men; never be deceived
into thinking that these can only be found in the biggest lakes or in the
largest congregations. Also, keep in mind that wisdom can come from some of the
most simple of statements spoken by some of the most simple of men.
Listen
carefully to what is being said! Many nuggets of gold are found in the muddiest
of waters. And always remember:
“A word fitly spoken is like apples of
gold in pictures of silver.” Proverbs
25:11
