Goin’ Fishing

Posted on August 29, 2018 by America's Keswick in Victory Call

When I was a little girl, my grandma took me fishing. In fact, over the years one of her great joys was to teach her grandchildren to fish. Since those early days, I have had few opportunities to develop fishing skills until a few weeks ago when my company participated in the Big Rock Fishing Tournament in Morehead City, NC.

I had been deep sea fishing a couple of times as a kid, but this experience would be so different than my childhood memories. Wondering what to expect, I asked if there would be someone to help us cast our lines and get the fish off of the hook. “Oh, we don’t fish. The boat does the fishing.” What exactly did that mean?

Before sunrise on a drizzly Saturday morning, I parked my car and walked through the predawn light onto the dock, uncertain of which boat to get on and unsure of my ability to take part in this renowned local event, in a culture where people were as comfortable on the water as they were on solid ground. Finally, I recognized some familiar faces and found the Ava D, a vessel much larger than I had imagined.  Nine ladies, two crew members, and the captain climbed aboard. Each of us ladies were laden with snacks, drinks, sunscreen, and cups of steaming coffee. We headed inside the spacious cabin to get some breakfast and sip our coffee, while the crew prepared the boat to set sail. They worked quietly, setting up the fishing lines and cleaning the deck, as the captain started the engine and steered the yacht away from the inlet and fifty miles out into the deep blue waters of the Atlantic.

The only role of the Lady Anglers was to reel in the line AFTER the fish took the bait.  Multiple rods were positioned on the port, starboard, and stern.  At 8 AM sharp, the crew let down the lines as the tournament began. The boat trolled the waters for the next six hours with the bait jigging through the waves. Finally after a couple of hours, the first fish was hooked. The crew moved quickly, lifting the rod from it’s place with the fish swimming frantically in the opposite direction. They maneuvered the rod and attached line to the “fighting chair” or “angler seat”, being careful that the line did not get tangled in the rest of the fishing lines still streaming from the boat and bouncing through the water. The Lady Angler plant her feet, giving herself leverage, so she would not tumble over the side of the boat. Taking hold of the giant rod and reel, she turned the handle of the reel with as much strength as she could muster, bringing the fish inch by inch closer to the boat, according to instructions given to her by the crew members. The rest of us cheered her on in her endeavor. “You can do it!” we cried. The process could take thirty minutes or much longer.

The men finally hauled the fish over the side of the boat and onto the deck, removing the hook and placing the fish on ice in the soft-sided, zippered cooler, keeping the prize fresh and cool in the hot sun, until the day ended and the fish was brought to shore. The men re-set the lines and proceeded to wash the blood and mess from the deck, preparing for the next catch. The rest of us admired the beautiful colors of the dolphin and congratulated the Lady Angler who reeled it in. We caught a total of three dolphins that day, but each of us shared in the victory, even though six of us never cast a line or touched a rod and reel.  As we headed back to the dock after six hours of fishing, I reflected on the teachings of Jesus as He used fishing to teach his disciples some great spiritual lessons.

I thought about Peter and the other disciples who fished all night and caught nothing. Then Jesus said to them, “Cast your net on the other side.” They cast the net and miraculously hauled 153 fish to shore.

When we fish for men, we may have a small bamboo fishing pole in the water. Or we may have multiple lines attached to the boat and placed there by others.  We may reel in a big fish or several small fish, or we may catch nothing at all. We might be in the “fighting chair” OR we might carry supplies, bait a hook, cast a line, or steer the boat. We might clean up the mess after the catch OR we may watch from the deck with our cup of coffee cheering on the one in the “fighting chair”. When we follow Jesus, we will become fishers of men, but, ultimately, the boat does the fishing. We just get to be a part of the process.

Written by Kim Olachea: Kim Olachea has been a pastor’s wife for 35 years. In 2017, she founded Pastor’s Wives, EveryDay Lives, a ministry to encourage pastor’s wives to stay on mission through regional conferences, local meetups, and mentoring. Kim and her husband, Joe, serve pastors and churches with T-Net International, where Joe is the Director of DisciplePath for North America. They also serve with ABWE’s North American Leadership Team in the ministry of discipleship and soul care for pastors and NA missionaries and lead overseas teaching tours to Israel, and most recently to Greece. Joe and Kim live in New Bern, NC, where they open their home for pastors and wives, to get away for a time of rest and encouragement. The Olachea’s love living near the ocean, traveling, and spending time with their five children and their spouses, and, of course, their seven (almost) perfect grandchildren. 

The Daily Bible Reading: Ezekiel 9-12| You can download our 2018 Daily Bible Reading Plan by clicking here

Daily Quote: “Our Lord said, “Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.” It is evident, then, that a true disciple is a soul-winner. It is possible to sit on the shore discussing the signs of the times when we ought to be driven by the signs of the times to launch out into the deep and let down our nets for a draught.”- Vance Havner

This Week’s Verse to Memorize:So shall the knowledge of wisdom be to your soul; If you have found it, there is a prospect, And your hope will not be cut off. 
Proverbs 24:14