You know when ya got a good one~
When I was little my dad taught me how to fish. He was such a proud dad, trying to teach his only child, his baby girl to fish. I guess I was one of those half and halfs, I was little princess, but I was a tomboy at heart. I loved fishing with my dad, he made it fun.He showed me how to enjoy fishing. He taught me how to bait my hook, cast my line out, and yes, it had to be an open faced! No easy tasks for his little girl, I had to learn everything just as it was.Fishing is not always easy, but when you take joy in fishing, it becomes a beauty all of its own. I would cast out and my little open faced would get so knotted up, that my dad would have to re-do my whole line. Yes, for us fishing was an all day event, and most of it was spent on me, fixing my line, or untangling it from the nearest branch or log under the water. But this girl, this girl finally got it, and oh, was my daddy proud! He caught me how to catch my first fish, and there were many to come after that one catch. If you are a fisherman, you know that all it takes is that one catch, that one big fish, and you are hooked for life. To be out on the water, or at the side of the river as we so often were, is amazing in the sight of beauty before your eyes. Either when the sun is coming up or going down, the breeze blowing in your hair, and the sight of fish flopping in the water just brings you to a moment of peace. There were times we didn't talk alot while we were fishing.I did alot of watching and learning, just sitting back and watching this man who could catch anything, teach me how to fish. Dad was one to make sure all was quiet so we didn't disturb the fish. My dad was the greatest fisherman I ever knew. After he was ill, he would go fishing alone, spending hours just catching and releasing. I think it was a special time for him just to think and love all around him. When I first learned how to fish dad put a bobber on my line, so I knew when a fish was at my line ready to take a bite. There were times I pulled in too hard, too fast, and just at the wrong time. I didn't let the fish get hooked and set my line correct. That was always my biggest defeat working against me. As soon as the fish was on, I wanted to bring him in. You knew when you had a big one on, your line would pull right away, and the big ones know how to fight, they know just what your doing and they don't want to come in. They put up such a fight, you have to give them room, you have to let go of the line some, you have to let them have their room before your able to bring them in. They don't come easy, and as I have learned nothing in life that is worth having is easy. Jesus chose fisherman to follow Him. They left all they had to follow Him, and they became fishers of men, just as we are today. See fishermen learn to have patience, you learn about the fish your pulling in, and you learn its not all about you. It takes time, and just because your putting the bait out there, you may not get one the first time, maybe not even the second, but sooner or later, you are going to bring one in, and no matter how big or small, they are all keepers in Christ's name. You might get snagged, you might get your line all twisted, but with practice, God gives the words, the wisdom, and the love for others, so if that if your line gets twisted, you just take your time, undo it, and start all over. With being fishers of men, all the stories told are big stories, they are each with their own right special to God, and to the one who brought them in. You may be the one who puts on the worm, you might be the one who sets the hook on, you might be the one who casts it out, and then you may be the one who brings it in, but whoever you are, whatever your job, each one is just as important as the next, for all those fish could not be caught without each process. No matter how you fish, with a net, with a pole, in a boat or on the side of the river, or if you enjoy fly fishing, we can be catchers with whatever talent God gave us to bring in the catch. If there wasn't something special about fisherman, God wouldn't have chosen so many, and He wouldn't have referred to fisherman in the bible for us to read and understand. We can all be fishers of men, we can if we will just open up our eyes, have patience, knowing it may be a long time before we catch the one we are after, bait our hooks, and cast out our nets, not for our prize, but for the glory of God. God will show us just where the best spots are, and He will give us all we need to bring them in, all we have to do is be willing vessels for Him. So my memory of my daddy teaching me how to fish, is one of my favorites of remembering him, but also my Father in Heaven has given me the greatest tools in being a fisher of men, and that catch is the greatest of all~ Matthew 4:18-22 "And Jesus, walking by the Sea of Galilee, saw two brothers, Simon called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea; for they were fishermen. Then He said to them, 'Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men.' They immediately left their nets and followed Him. Going on from there, He saw two other brothers, James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, in the boat the Zebedee their father, mending their nets. He called them, and immediately they left the boat and their father, and followed Him."
When I was little my dad taught me how to fish. He was such a proud dad, trying to teach his only child, his baby girl to fish. I guess I was one of those half and halfs, I was little princess, but I was a tomboy at heart. I loved fishing with my dad, he made it fun.He showed me how to enjoy fishing. He taught me how to bait my hook, cast my line out, and yes, it had to be an open faced! No easy tasks for his little girl, I had to learn everything just as it was.Fishing is not always easy, but when you take joy in fishing, it becomes a beauty all of its own. I would cast out and my little open faced would get so knotted up, that my dad would have to re-do my whole line. Yes, for us fishing was an all day event, and most of it was spent on me, fixing my line, or untangling it from the nearest branch or log under the water. But this girl, this girl finally got it, and oh, was my daddy proud! He caught me how to catch my first fish, and there were many to come after that one catch. If you are a fisherman, you know that all it takes is that one catch, that one big fish, and you are hooked for life. To be out on the water, or at the side of the river as we so often were, is amazing in the sight of beauty before your eyes. Either when the sun is coming up or going down, the breeze blowing in your hair, and the sight of fish flopping in the water just brings you to a moment of peace. There were times we didn't talk alot while we were fishing.I did alot of watching and learning, just sitting back and watching this man who could catch anything, teach me how to fish. Dad was one to make sure all was quiet so we didn't disturb the fish. My dad was the greatest fisherman I ever knew. After he was ill, he would go fishing alone, spending hours just catching and releasing. I think it was a special time for him just to think and love all around him. When I first learned how to fish dad put a bobber on my line, so I knew when a fish was at my line ready to take a bite. There were times I pulled in too hard, too fast, and just at the wrong time. I didn't let the fish get hooked and set my line correct. That was always my biggest defeat working against me. As soon as the fish was on, I wanted to bring him in. You knew when you had a big one on, your line would pull right away, and the big ones know how to fight, they know just what your doing and they don't want to come in. They put up such a fight, you have to give them room, you have to let go of the line some, you have to let them have their room before your able to bring them in. They don't come easy, and as I have learned nothing in life that is worth having is easy. Jesus chose fisherman to follow Him. They left all they had to follow Him, and they became fishers of men, just as we are today. See fishermen learn to have patience, you learn about the fish your pulling in, and you learn its not all about you. It takes time, and just because your putting the bait out there, you may not get one the first time, maybe not even the second, but sooner or later, you are going to bring one in, and no matter how big or small, they are all keepers in Christ's name. You might get snagged, you might get your line all twisted, but with practice, God gives the words, the wisdom, and the love for others, so if that if your line gets twisted, you just take your time, undo it, and start all over. With being fishers of men, all the stories told are big stories, they are each with their own right special to God, and to the one who brought them in. You may be the one who puts on the worm, you might be the one who sets the hook on, you might be the one who casts it out, and then you may be the one who brings it in, but whoever you are, whatever your job, each one is just as important as the next, for all those fish could not be caught without each process. No matter how you fish, with a net, with a pole, in a boat or on the side of the river, or if you enjoy fly fishing, we can be catchers with whatever talent God gave us to bring in the catch. If there wasn't something special about fisherman, God wouldn't have chosen so many, and He wouldn't have referred to fisherman in the bible for us to read and understand. We can all be fishers of men, we can if we will just open up our eyes, have patience, knowing it may be a long time before we catch the one we are after, bait our hooks, and cast out our nets, not for our prize, but for the glory of God. God will show us just where the best spots are, and He will give us all we need to bring them in, all we have to do is be willing vessels for Him. So my memory of my daddy teaching me how to fish, is one of my favorites of remembering him, but also my Father in Heaven has given me the greatest tools in being a fisher of men, and that catch is the greatest of all~ Matthew 4:18-22 "And Jesus, walking by the Sea of Galilee, saw two brothers, Simon called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea; for they were fishermen. Then He said to them, 'Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men.' They immediately left their nets and followed Him. Going on from there, He saw two other brothers, James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, in the boat the Zebedee their father, mending their nets. He called them, and immediately they left the boat and their father, and followed Him."
