Saturday, September 3, 2011

A lesson on the River

Patience is certainly a virtue that I try to indulge in whenever I get the chance.  Take today for instance, fishing on the river for pink salmon and sturgeon.  Let's cover some facts first before I go any further with this story.  My wife will attest to the fact that the name Mike Cifu does not strike fear into any fish.  In fact, I get the feeling sometimes many of them are somehow laughing when I throw my hook in the water.  How the truth hurts!  Moving on, I did get myself a salmon on this occasion, however, the sturgeon were not biting.  Sturgeon fishing is definitely a waiting game.  It does not require multiple casts of the rod and reel, on the contrary, it calls for extreme patience and concentration.  At times I felt like a polar bear waiting for hours for that one seal who might poke it's head through the ice (water in this case).  I didn't end up catching any sturgeon, but I did catch a tan/sunburn.  We'll run with tan for right now........

I learned from my waiting game with the fish that it pays to just be still, and secondly, it pays off to have enough trust to be patient for something or someone.  In the same way God wants us to be still and patient with our lives. 
Psalm 37:7-9 Be still in the presence of the Lord, and wait patiently for him to act. Don’t worry about evil people who prosper or fret about their wicked schemes. Stop being angry! Turn from your rage! Do not lose your temper—it only leads to harm. For the wicked will be destroyed, but those who trust in the Lord will possess the land.

Does this mean that we can't be ambitious or "hit the ground running" when it comes to certain things in life?  No!  This all goes back to God's desire of free will for us; each human being making their own choices in life as they perceive forks in the road.  Don't be so busy that you miss God, miss His creation, and miss out on the incredible peace He wishes for all of us.  Today on the river when we knew that the time for fishing had drawn to a close, we sat in the boat and felt an inner peace and amazement as we looked toward the mountains extending skyward from the river and surrounding fields.  All I thought at that moment was, thank you!

Psalms 40
1 I waited patiently for the LORD; he turned to me and heard my cry. 2 He lifted me out of the slimy pit, out of the mud and mire; he set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand. 3 He put a new song in my mouth, a hymn of praise to our God. Many will see and fear and put their trust in the LORD. 4 Blessed is the man who makes the LORD his trust, who does not look to the proud, to those who turn aside to false gods. 5 Many, O LORD my God, are the wonders you have done.

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