The Fisherman

A state park is close to my home.
There are hiking trails and a beautiful man-made lake.
In order to drive most places, I must drive over that pristine lake.
It is the place where people will stop to take pictures since the sunsets over the lake are amazing.

The bridge that goes over the lake is quite wide along each shoulder.
That is where cars will pull over to take photographs.
That is where the park rangers will often come to inspect.
That is where a life preserver is always hung.

This time of year, the fisherman are there in full force.
I see them with their gear and their poles and their coolers.
Some will fish right off the bridge since it is not that high off the water.
Some will climb over the railing to get down to the water.

I am so used to seeing people along the bridge.
Unless something hits my eye as being out of the ordinary, they blend into the scenery.
It was one such sight I saw as I was driving home.
From a distance I could not make out what I was seeing until I got closer.

A chair was on the side of the road.
It was the kind of chair you see on the sidelines of a sporting event.
It is easily collapsible.
It has cup holders built into the arms.

This chair was a bit different.
This chair had a canopy to protect the person from the sun.
This chair also had an ottoman.
It is the kind of chair that someone uses for the long haul.

In the chair, I saw a man.
Since it was a warm day, he was wearing shorts.
He was covered by the canopy.
He was shirtless; his arms and torso were covered in tattoos.

He looked like he was asleep.
His feet were resting comfortably on the ottoman.
I noticed all of this because the shoulder of the bridge had many people on it.
I needed to drive with extra caution.

I know that one cannot just park themselves on the shoulder of the bridge without reason.
I wondered if the man had been fishing and was now resting.
It was not until I actually passed him that I could finally see.
The man had an elaborate fishing system set up right there on the shoulder of the bridge.

The man was fishing while asleep.
His fishing pole was resting against the railing.
I could see the curve of the line as it dipped into the water.
A cooler held the pole securely against the railing while he slept.

I wondered how the man would know if he caught something.
Perhaps with this elaborate system he rigged up he had some sort of alert set up as well.
Perhaps just the movement of the line was enough to jar him from his sleep.
Perhaps it was more about resting near the water on a beautiful day than catching fish.

The whole scene made me smile.
The man had thought of everything.
He was ready with his fishing pole and his comfy chair with its canopy and ottoman.
He was even ready for the nap that was inevitable.

I once saw a sign that was hanging in a card store right around Father’s Day.
It made me smile.
I still remember the words.
I wished that I known a fisherman or a fisherman’s wife who would appreciate it.

A woman who has never seen her husband fishing, doesn’t know what a patient man she married!

I thought of that sign as I passed the fisherman asleep on the bridge.
This man thought of everything.
Every possible contingency seemed to have been contemplated in advance.
The man was very industrious and quite creative.

As Jesus was walking beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon called Peter and his brother Andrew. They were casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen. “Come, follow me,” Jesus said, “and I will make you fishers of men.” At once they left their nets and followed him. Going on from there, he saw two other brothers, James son of Zebedee and his brother John. They were in a boat with their father Zebedee, preparing their nets. Jesus called them, and immediately they left the boat and their father and followed him.
(Matthew 4:18-22)

Jesus’ disciples had an agrarian lifestyle.
They were fisherman.
Jesus had a different kind of fishing in mind.
Jesus knew that His disciples would be fishing for souls.

Jesus’ kind of fishing requires alertness.
There is no sleeping on the job.
There is no setting up an elaborate system to do the work for you.
Jesus’ kind of fishing requires a hands-on approach.

Jesus’ kind of fishing may not always be comfortable.
It is not the kind of fishing where putting your feet up is encouraged.
It is sweaty work that requires getting your hands dirty.
It is work that does not operate on a time table.

The fish in the man-made lake may bite or they may not bite on any given day.
People may respond to the call of Jesus or they may turn and walk away.
Fishing is unpredictable.
However a Master Fisherman knows the fish He will catch.

A fisher of men does not sleep on the job.
A fisher of men requires a good deal of patience.
Is your fishing pole ready?
Have you thought of creative ways to fish and contemplated all sorts of contingencies?

Get ready.
There is fishing to be done.