What are you Fishing For?
A few weeks ago, I had the pleasure of joining the Cast Your Faith men’s fellowship group on their first trip of 2022 to Beavers Bend State Park. Though we didn’t have any precipitation to deal with, temperatures at the camp were much like they are here this weekend.
If you are not aware, Cast your Faith is a group started by a few men from St. James that creates opportunities to get into the outdoors, form deep friendships, and be reminded of the creator, all through their love of fly fishing.
Friends, the outdoors, and God are all things that I have had some experience in. But fly fishing would be something new to me altogether. In the weeks before the trip, I began to watch videos on Youtube, picked up a pair of waders, and even visited a couple of fly shops. What I was learning in my preparation was that there was much to learn. My inexperience, combined with hearing stories of recent trips where no fish were caught, set my expectation for getting a fish in the net very low.
After our first night camping, we woke up to 17-degree weather and began to gear up to get in the water. We were soon met by Chris and Jeff, two local fishing guides whom the group hired to share some of their knowledge of the Lower Mountain Fork River. Our group split as each guide took half to a spot, and we began to cast.
Our Gospel reading this Sunday reminds me a lot of the mission of our Cast Your Faith group. Jesus, who needed a little space, asked a fisherman to use his boat as a stage to teach the crowd who had gathered. After the teaching, Jesus tells Simon, “Put out into the deep water and let down your nets for a catch.” Simon explains that they are tired and have been doing this all night, but “if you say so…”
What happens next is a miracle so unique that they decided to drop everything and follow Jesus. While the miracle of boats filled with fish is the story we may remember from Sunday school, Peter, James, and John’s heart change had a much further impact than any catch ever could.
As we stood in the cold river that morning, Clay Christian landed a beautiful rainbow trout before I could even get a fly in the water. I would tell you to ask him how big it was, but, like most caught fish, it seems to keep growing. Everyone on the trip caught a fish that weekend, even those of us who were quite literally wading into this for the first time.
My takeaway from the trip might include a few funny stories of what it is like waking up with icicles in my beard or of antics around the campfire at night and a new appreciation for the sport of fly fishing.
However, the conversations where people shared from their own experiences will stick with me the longest. In these conversations about fishing, family, or faith, we are reminded of our need for guidance from someone else. At times that takes the form of a guide in the river, and others, it might be a conversation with a friend, but each of these are just a reminder of our need for a savior that meets us where we are, gives us what we need, and calls us to a life of so much more.
On this un-official Cast Your Faith Sunday, join us as we remember God’s call to his first disciples and reflect on the work God is calling you to do today.
-jared phares